The Shields family of Wilmette poses for a photo at a recent wedding.
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a proverbial phrase the Shields family really takes to heart.
Five years ago, Wilmette residents Kevin and Barbara Shields’ life was turned upside down when their son Kyle was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. But instead of feeling defeated by their son’s diagnosis, the family embraced the challenge with optimism.
“Let’s make lemonade out of lemons. Maybe this will make you honor your body and treat it like the temple it is,” Barbara told her oldest of four children when he was diagnosed.
At the beginning of Kyle’s senior year at New Trier High School, he was a rising star on the varsity football team. He’d played football for four years, but started to notice that he was feeling weak, losing weight and needing to use the restroom frequently during practice. Kyle mentioned these issues to his parents, who both felt sure that their otherwise healthy son was fine.
But Kyle made and appointment with his doctor anyway, when his father was attending his younger sister’s soccer game, and his mother was getting her hair done in preparation for her birthday celebration that night.
Turns out Kyle’s symptoms are classic indicators of type 1 diabetes. Kyle immediately took a blood test that indicated he had dangerously high levels of sugar in his blood stream. “That is when life changed,” Barbara said.
Kyle was immediately rushed to Evanston Hospital. Barbara dashed from the hairdressers with her hair still wet and Kevin came from the soccer game. It was a day nobody in their family will ever forget. “I remember it like it was yesterday and it was five years ago,” Barbara said.
Kyle and his mom then spent three days at the hospital in an intensive education program, learning how to deal with diabetes on a day-to-day basis. “On a daily basis you are a walking science project,” Barbara said.
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to turn food into energy. Since Kyle’s body doesn’t produce insulin, every morning and every time he eats, he has to monitor his blood-sugar levels and then inject himself with the appropriate amount of insulin.
According to Barbara, everyday is a balancing act. But through family support, and his own dedication, Kyle has found a way to live a well-adjusted life. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in business in the spring, and just started a two year management program at Cintas, a uniform company located in Chicago.
“Kyle has done so well because you have to be able to read your body. He is so good at that,” Barbara said.
But the diagnosis hasn’t been without challenges. Kyle decided to rush for a fraternity his freshman year at IU and his parents worried about the hazards. It turns out that belonging to a fraternity was a positive for Kyle. “The kids who rushed him honored him. It was an unbelievable thing,” Barbara said. Kyle also gained confidence in knowing that he could belong to a fraternity and still balance his diabetes. “He gained confidence in just being himself,” Barbara said.
The Shields decided to choose an optimistic outlook to guide their son when they realized how many people with type 1 diabetes suffer from depression. Coping with a chronic condition everyday that has no cure is tough. “It is really a big mind over matter to get over that. It is with you until the day you die 24/7,” Barbara said.
That is one of the reasons that the Shields got involved with the JDRF Foundation. For the past four years, they have participated in the JDRF One Walk along the lakefront to raise funds towards helping to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.
This year marks the first time Kyle will be able to join his family on the walk. The Shields remain optimistic that JDRF will discover a cure in Kyle’s lifetime and count their blessings that their son has managed to take his diagnosis in stride.
“I just think it has almost made him a better person. We are just so lucky,” Barbara said.
The JDRF One Walk will be held on October 1 in Chicago. For more information about the event and the Shields Team go to www2.jdrf.org.