Courtesy of Val Emmich
- Val Emmich felt powerless when his elder daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
- Shortly after, his younger daughter received the same diagnosis.
- This is Emmich's story, as told to Joelle Speranza.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Val Emmich. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I live in a constant state of fear. My daughters, 11-year-old Harper and 7-year-old Lennon, have Ttype 1 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the pancreas makes little or no insulin. If, for some reason, they didn't have access to insulin, they could die.
Nothing has made me feel as powerless as when my wife, Jill, and I learned of each girl's diagnosis.