Class Surprises 7 Year Old On 5th Anniversary of Her Diabetes Diagnosis

7 year old Addison has had Type 1 Diabetes since she was 2. In case you don’t know, Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. We all need insulin to live, and without it, we’d die. So Addison wears an insulin pump called the Omnipod that delivers insulin into her body. 

People with T1D call the anniversary of their diagnosis their ‘diaversary’. Why? Because we celebrate all the years we’ve spent keeping ourselves alive and all the hard work we’ve put into it! 

On February 28th, it was Addison’s 5th diaversary. It was a normal school day, but when she arrived, she quickly found out that this day would be anything but normal. She started out her morning receiving gifts and cards from her classmates, but it didn’t end there. Mom Sarah had a friend who works for Omnipod, so she kindly donated some demo pods with no real needle. Well what kind of way to feel more supported than have your whole 1st grade class, teachers, kids from other classes, and other staff all wear demo pods for the afternoon! And they weren’t forced into this, they were so excited to put them on that they decorated theirs to be just as cool looking as hers! The love was overwhelming, and as you can see from the photos, Addison’s smile was huge. 

 

They celebrated with cupcakes, balloons, and she was made to feel so special. This overwhelming story of acceptance and understanding from the whole school of a child with Type 1 really pulls at the heartstrings. Addison could not contain her joy that day, and that’s how every kid should feel on their diaversary. 

 

 

 

Side note: Amazing that these kids will be aware of what Type 1 Diabetes is at such a young age, all because of Addison.