Dunahee story Book touches on stuggles and continued hope Page A25
NEWS: Deer report goes back to councils /A4 ARTS: Women use their words /A15 SPORTS: Castaway Wanderers head to James Bay /A19
OAK BAYNEWS Watch for breaking news at www.oakbaynews.com
Friday, November 30, 2012
Learning to cope and finding hope Meet the Morricals, an Oak Bay family learning to cope with type 1 diabetes
Tim Collins Reporting
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uncan Morrical discovered that he had type 1 diabetes on his seventh birthday. His family was returning from an excursion to Salt Spring Island when he needed to go to the bathroom every five minutes. He was also extremely thirsty. “I spent the trip home going between the water fountain and the bathroom,” Duncan said. “I’d been thirsty all day and did the absolute worst thing by drinking a lot of Coke.” Unbeknownst to Duncan, the sugar in the soft drink raised his blood sugar, causing his body to try to flush it out through urination, which in turn dehydrated him even more. “The more I drank, the thirstier I got,” he recalled. What followed is still a bit of a blur to Duncan and his parents, Susan and Dave Morrical, who took him to their doctor. The youngster was quickly sent to the hospital. When he arrived at the emergency room, his blood sugar level was 35. Normal blood sugar concentration or blood glucose level in the blood is in the range of four to eight. Duncan was admitted to hospital for a twoweek stay during which medical staff managed to stabilize his condition and determine the levels of insulin he would need to function. It was a difficult process for the young boy. “In the first 48 hours he had 37 finger pokes (blood tests) and I.V. draws,” recalled Susan. “He was very brave, and the staff were great, but it was a hard time.” During that time, Susan and Dave each took a week off work to be trained by the diabetic teaching team who gave them the hard facts about the disease. “Was there a fear factor? Absolutely,” Susan said. “Still, it wasn’t as scary as it got later.” Later the family learned that even with careful management and the use of an insulin pump, Duncan was never really in control of
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Duncan Morrical, 11, right, with his dad David, holds the insulin pump that helps keep him alive by regularly administering insulin. his disease. “There’s never a point with kids (with diabetes) where you’re consistently in a good place. Anything can throw him off, a stressful day, a cold, or even if he decides to grow.” David recounted how, on three separate occasions, he checked Duncan’s blood sugar levels after his son had fallen asleep to find that Duncan had “crashed.”
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Inside: Living with type 1 diabetes. Learn the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Is there a cure ahead?
PLEASE SEE: Researchers find encouraging results, Page A10
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