Past Letter to the parents of my childs class

I recently found the letter I sent to the nurse at her request (from the private school) to send to the parent's of my son's kindergarden class, it may be helpful for others to utilize in some way or repurpose. (for example, Jared won't likely need me there at lunch each day anymore and someone else can now verifiy his carbs so I don't HAVE to be there as often as I did two years ago when the kids were asking why Jared's mom got to visit the class so often ;)


Dear parents of (my child's teachers) classroom,

We are writing to inform you that one of your children’s’ peers (Jared) has type 1 diabetes, it is a condition that affects his ability to absorb glucose (sugar) and turn it into energy.

So during the day, he does a few medical checks to make sure that he is in a healthy range and can study and play like the rest of the children. Treatment and maintenance involve finger pokes (in the classroom) and also some injections ‘medicine’ (occur outside the classroom), also he may have additional snacks during the day as a part of his treatment.

Jared needs for you and other people around him to know that he has diabetes. However, he should not be and does not want to be treated differently. Things we want you to be familiar with about diabetes are in this letter. Usually his diabetes is under good control, but he may have problems if his blood sugar gets too low or too high. To keep that from happening, we work with the doctors and teachers and have to do certain things.

It may help you to understand those things better if we tell you about diabetes. Please know that diabetes is not contagious. When a person eats a meal, the food is broken down into different substances, is absorbed, and enters the bloodstream. One of these substances is glucose, a sugar. The body cannot function without glucose. In turn, the body cannot use glucose without insulin which is produced by the pancreas. Jared’s pancreas, like that of other people with diabetes, doesn't produce insulin, so he has to take insulin shots every day. It's mainly insulin, exercise, food and stress that cause his blood sugar to go up or down. Sometimes he may have a low blood sugar or a hypoglycemic reaction.

Jared usually knows when his sugar is getting low, but sometimes he may not, so he counts on teachers and parents to recognize the signs.
confusion
moodiness
irritability
incoherence
shakiness
glassy stare

If the low blood sugar persists too long, Jared may seem sleepy and withdrawn. If any of these symptoms occur, the teachers give him a sweetened drink, milk or orange juice to drink or something from his "Low blood sugar food stash in his locker." Food is used as his medicine in this case. Like any child, he may resist, but if you notice this behavior; please be firm and make sure he eats something with sugar. 15 minutes later he should be fine… if not however we (His parents) may get called to come in and check on him ~ Your children may notice “Jared’s mom comes to visit the class at lunch each day” This is to help with his care and treatment and is necessary at this point until he is older and can help with his own treatment.

We are writing not because this affects you or your child directly in any way, but we do ask that you save the packaging for snacks that may be brought for your child’s birthday celebration at school so we can correctly dose his insulin for his snack, so he can fit in with the rest of the kids in this situation. Also we realize since the glucose testing or ‘finger pokes’ happen in the class room your child may (or may not) ask questions. Hence this letter informing you of what is going on.
If you ever find Jared unconscious, anytime, and you cannot awake him, call 911 immediately.
We appreciate you taking the time to read this. If you or your kids have any questions, we are happy to explain further.
Sincerely,

(Jared’s Parents)