A Trip to the Hospital = A Changed Life / Mrs Denise Baker

A Trip to the Hospital = A Changed Life

Mrs Denise Baker

Pastor's Wife
Victory Baptist Church

Bronx, New York

On May 5, 2014, my daughter, Makenzie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes twenty-four days before her eleventh birthday. A few days before she was diagnosed, I noticed that she had lost a lot of weight, was constantly thirsty, and frequently using the restroom. I will never forget that Sunday night when I knew this was much more than just a growth spurt or a kidney infection as her symptoms became worse. I prayed and asked God to give me wisdom as to whether I should take Makenzie to the Emergency room or just try to get her in to her pediatrician the next morning.  I must say, the Lord has never failed me when I have asked for wisdom!! Right away, I remembered that I had a meter to test blood sugar from when I had gestational diabetes with my son during the last two weeks of my last pregnancy. I got the meter ready and pricked Makenzie’s finger. I couldn’t believe my eyes….the meter read 601. I immediately realized that we needed to take Makenzie to the emergency room. My husband dropped Makenzie and me off at Albert Einstein Hospital in the Bronx. They got Makenzie a bed and started an I.V. and told me they would be doing an EKG and checking Makenzie for acid in her blood. Makenzie and Dr. Rebecca, the doctor on call, had a lot in common and that helped calm Makenzie’s nerves. A NYC emergency room can get a little crazy at night, so when a drunk man who had appeared to have been in a fight was brought in and started exposing himself, (thank God Makenzie didn’t see anything) they moved her to a private room in the E.R. with a door that we could close to all of the craziness. Around one a.m., Dr. Rebecca came and asked me to step in to the hallway so she could explain what was going on with Makenzie. She began to describe that there are two types of diabetes and Makenzie has the bad one where her pancreas stopped working. With a very sympathetic look on her face, she explained that Makenzie will need a pump eventually and will have this for the rest of her life. I began to cry and felt so helpless as a mom….Did I do something wrong??….Could this have been prevented?? I called my husband to let him know, and I pulled myself together as much as I could and went back in the room where Makenzie was sleeping. I just stared at her beautiful fair skin and blonde hair and begged God to give me the right words to say to her to let her know that she has T1 diabetes. It wasn’t very long before she woke up and God gave me the words to say. I remember telling her that whatever the outcome of the tests, God is with us and He has a plan. He is allowing this to happen and we can make the best of this. I assured her that she has an incredible support team in her family and we would all be by her side. I remember asking her if she would be ok with whatever the outcome of her sickness was, and she said yes. I began to tell her she has T1 diabetes. She took it like a champ! I could tell she was worn out and told her to get some rest. A while later she awoke, and I wanted to see if she remembered the talk we had, so I asked her if she remembered what her diagnosis was. With a very serious look on her face she said, “Yes, you said I have mesothelioma.” And then she started laughing and said, “Got ya!!” One of the things I am most thankful for is Makenzie’s sense of humor; it has made this journey more bearable. 

A few hours later, Makenzie was transferred to the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, and was put on the cancer floor. There we got our training on how to live with this new disease. Makenzie’s roommate was a four year old little girl with cancer. She had already been there over a month. Watching girls and boys hooked up to all sorts of machines made us all very thankful that Makenzie’s diagnosis was T1 diabetes and not something worse. God has allowed us to come in contact with some amazing doctors who have taught us so much. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I am overwhelmed at how God has changed my life and the lives of my family through this disease. I have watched Makenzie use this disease to help others. She and her sisters have recently started crocheting hats and scarves for children who are in the hospital. Am I glad Makenzie has T1 diabetes? No, T1 diabetes can be overwhelming at times. Do I wish I could take it away? Yes, but unfortunately I can’t. But I do know God has an awesome plan for her life and I would be crazy to get in the way of that. If we let Him, God can use situations that are placed in our lives for His glory.