Dylan was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in July 2020 – a chronic condition that means his body isn’t producing enough insulin, the hormone that controls the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.
There is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes, and people with the condition are required to give themselves insulin injections throughout the day and constantly monitor their blood glucose levels.
Dylan’s mother, Kelly, said she noticed changes in his behaviour in the weeks leading up to his diagnosis, before things suddenly began to escalate.
“He had become really moody, and I did notice that he was drinking a lot of water,” Kelly said.
“I actually said to him and myself ‘you know that’s something that diabetics do’, but I just pushed that out of my head thinking ‘why would it be that, he’s just thirsty’.
“He started to nap in the daytime, which wasn’t like him, and his stomach was hurting and within two days of that he was just in such a state that I thought we have got to go to emergency.
“We went to Echuca Emergency, and he was so close to falling into a coma that they airlifted him to the Royal Children’s Hospital.”
Dylan was at the hospital for just under a week, including two days in the Intensive Care Unit. Before being able to go home, both Dylan and Kelly had to complete training to help him manage his diabetes.
They had to learn how to prick his finger to check his blood glucose levels and give insulin injections, with Dylan having to show doctors he was able to give the injections himself.
Dylan requires four insulin injections a day – one at breakfast, lunch and dinner, before a long-lasting injection before bed.
Dylan’s diagnosis has had a huge impact on their lives, Kelly said.
“He has become a different sort of kid,” she said, adding that she has noticed a change in his mood and behaviour.
“It’s constantly on my mind. I generally wake up every night at two or three o’clock in the morning just to make sure he’s still breathing and he’s okay.”
Now though, Dylan is raising funds for an automatic insulin pump that will hopefully have a dramatic impact on his everyday life.
The pump is worn on a belt, with a computer that monitors his blood glucose level attached to a line and a needle that is inserted into his stomach, which automatically injects insulin into the body.
The pump would mean that instead of having to give himself four needles every day, Dylan would instead require just one injection a fortnight, and managing his insulin levels would become much easier.
The pumps are difficult to come by, however. Kelly said Dylan was currently on a waiting list to receive one but was facing a three-year wait before one was available, and to buy one outright would cost between $8000 and $9,000.
Kelly said finding the money to purchase the pump had become Dylan’s new project.
Dylan is starting a new job as a paper delivery person to earn money for the pump, and he has also created his own GoFundMe page to raise money for the machine.
Kelly said the automatic pump would have a huge impact on the way Dylan could live his life, making things much, much easier.
“I’m hoping it would have a huge impact on him, not having to constantly check this, check that, put the needles in,” she said.
“I think he’d feel so much better if all he has to do was just type something into this little computer and everything takes care of itself.
“He has wanted one from the very start, it takes away him having to give himself four needles every day.”
Dylan said the automatic pump would have a huge impact on his confidence.
“It would make me feel better about myself,” he said.
“Instead of having Mum come up to me every day to help me do my insulin, it would make me stop feeling so embarrassed to have it.”
To donate to Dylan’s gofundme, visit https://gofund.me/6f2295e3
