The box came in the mail the other day.  It needed to be refrigerated and the study coordinator was a little anxious to know when I had received it.  The truth is, I didn’t want it, or to have to think about it.

But I knew I had to open it, and prepare myself to have the conversation with my daughter.

The box of bottles of pills, either the placebo or the active drug, the instructions and a pill box. It was really that simple.  Keep them in the fridge, take one every day, and let us know if your child gets sick.

But the emotion tied to this is much greater.  While I have never really been upset that I live with T1D, I don’t wish it upon anyone else, and I certainly don’t wont my daughter to live with it.

But that is what parenting is all about.  “Manning Up” to the things your kids need you to.  “Stepping Up” to the plate when your kids need you.  Doing what you can to protect your children.  My emotions, weaknesses and fears don’t count here.  They don’t mean a thing. The only thing that matters is whether or not Abby is ok.  That’s it.

So, my wife and I had the conversation with her, and it went something like this:

Me: “Abby, your study is a little different from Jake’s”

Abby: “Aww man, do I have to go for more blood work already?”

Me:  “No, your study requires that you take a pill once a day.”

Abby:  “Oh, that’s it?”

And it was that simple.

One step at a time, one pill a day.  Immeasurable amount of HOPE here at the Chadwick house.