We Are Children's » An Award for my Blood Glucose Monitor

An Award for my Blood Glucose Monitor

Guest post submitted by patient, Maggie Drysch

“Age 7 was a big year for me. I started riding horses.

It was also the year that I spent my birthday being diagnosed with diabetes.

Riding Horses with Diabetes

My riding keeps me really active. And sometimes, riding and diabetes don’t mix too well together.

I’ve had days where I would be clutching the reins of my horse, ready to go into the ring with my hands shaking . . . shaking hard. . . not from fear or from excitement, but from my blood sugar levels being too low.

This meant that it was unsafe for me to compete, much less practice in the ring.

There were a few times that I had to miss riding sessions or classes because we hadn’t caught my blood sugar in time and, by the time we stabilized it, everything was over.

I would be so upset that the diabetes had gotten in the way of doing what I love to do.

My New Blood Glucose Monitor

This year, with the help of Dr. Kaufman, I changed the way I measure my sugar levels. My mom got me a continuous glucose monitor which is a small sensor that I wear all the time that communicates with the insulin pump that I keep in my riding pants pocket. It alerts me when my sugar levels are too high or too low.

Now, with Dr. Kaufman’s help, I have the freedom to compete just like any other equestrian contestant without having to worry and constantly test myself before going into the ring to make sure I am OK to compete. The monitor lets me know how I am doing constantly so I know where my sugar levels are well before the jumps.

Maggie’s Mom Weighs In

Maggie keeps her continuous glucose pump in her pocket. The sensor is actually a device about the size of a quarter that she wears on her side that is inserted like her pump site. It’s an amazing little device that sends a signal to her pump with her blood sugar reading.

She can literally pull her pump out of her pocket at any time and, by just looking at her pump, get her blood sugar reading without pricking her finger which, as you can imagine, is not always an easy task on the back of a horse.

It will also send a signal to her pump if she starts to get too high or low and send her an audible alarm to warn her and also show her arrows and trends to forewarn her if she is headed high or low.

The impact of this device on her activity is nothing short of revolutionary and has changed everything for her. In a nutshell . . . we can all relax.

My Riding Season

I began riding a new horse, Milton, this year. Milton was trying something completely new.

He took his first jump in March and my trainer let me start working with him in June. It was halfway through the show season but our hard work and training paid off.

Since I got such a late start this season I decided to set just one goal for Milton and I, to qualify for the Pacific Coast Horse Show Association Horsemanship Medal.

Maggie jumping Milton

I really wanted to be able to take Milton to this particular show because the finals are held at the Portuguese Bend Children’s Charity Horse Show. All the money raised at this show is donated to my hospital, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

We had such a great season despite our late start we managed to qualify for the following Medal Finals:

Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association Horsemanship Medal
California Professional Horsemen’s Association Foundation Medal
Pacific Coast Horse Show Association Horsemanship Medal
California Professional Horseman’s Association Child/Adult Medal

To be honest, I don’t know if I would have been able compete to my best ability without Dr. Kaufman’s help and this new monitor.

Riding to Make a Difference

Maggie kissing Gambler

In my “other” spare time, I stay pretty active. Along with keeping up with my schoolwork, I like to: run, swim, snow ski, and wakeboard.

Also, I like to advocate for diabetes research and support – it feels great to know that I can make a difference outside the stables for kids like me who want to stay active despite their diabetes.

Milton and I did get to show at Medal Finals over Labor Day at the Portuguese Bend Show benefiting Children’s Hospital.

It was a lot of fun and all of the people were so nice. It was cool how I got to compete at this show knowing it supported the hospital that takes such good care of me.

We didn’t make it into the top 10 this year, but Milton went around great! The season starts again soon so I’ll start trying to qualify for year-end finals all over again.

I hope we’ll make it again next year. If you make it into the top 10 you get a big neck ribbon for your horse and an embroidered blanket called a “cooler.” I hope to make it to the top 10 next year so I can send Dr. Kaufman a picture for her office!”