The family that continues to overcome...
Today is a bitter sweet day...
Lets start from the beginning... I became a nanny for the Plunkett's in 2018. I remember coming into their home and Gracie was sitting in Jordan's palms. My first though was, "Holy crap that is a tiny baby!" To start the adventure off, Gracie was born with a congenital heart defect. Baby girl literally had a two holes in her heart. As we watched for heart failure symptoms, over time, they began to heal without intervention. She could need a surgery in the future but in the mean time we pray she doesn't. A few more months into my time with the Plunkett's, Gracie was refusing to eat. We tried everything but ultimately she was hospitalized and diagnosed with acid re flux. After treating her, slowly, she began to thrive again.
I had the most amazing time hanging out with Gracie over the year, she taught me new things every day. It was so fun being apart of her first steps and first words. It seemed like every day I had something new and exciting to share with Jaime when she would come home.
A little over a year into our time together, during a long weekend of what we though was a GI bug, Gracie was not herself... Increased thirst, severe bed wetting, fatigue and weakness... Something wasn't adding up. After constant contact with mom and dad during our usual day together, Jordan came home on lunch and took Gracie to a friend/doctor (oddly around here some pediatricians don't open till after 4...) A few hours later I got the message... at 16 months old, Gracie was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was being flown to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.
My stomach sank to my knees. I could not even imagine what Jaime and Jordan were going through. Together as a family they have already over came SO much... And then this...
Its hard to put the next few months into perspective... I spend a few days with them in the hospital to get some basic knowledge of 'T1D' and how to properly treat her and give her insulin. But that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the LIFE CHANGES that the Plunkett's were about to face. Gracie obviously couldn't test her own glucose or determine how much insulin to take with every meal, so Jaime and Jordan were now Gracie's life line. Every gram of sugar, every carb, how much energy she exerts... it literally could be life or death with EVERY decision they made. I am HUMBLED by the strength and courage of the Plunketts. They are truly WARRIORS. Jaime and Jordan do so much to help Gracie live her best life, they want her to live like any other child would.
So 365 days later here we are. Gracie is happy, healthy AND ALIVE. It will NEVER get EASIER but Jaime and Jordan sure are getting the hang of things. I wanted to help them celebrate this tragic blessing of a day with a photo shoot. I thought, what better way to show 'T1D' who's boss than by baking some sweets! It was a lot of fun but also VERY REAL. Gracie had highs and lows, alarms were ringing, popsicles on hand and a few manual glucose checks. The regular life of a 'T1D' team.
It has been an honor working with such a strong and loving family. They have all taught me so much... Life is precious... Count your blessings everyday because tomorrow is a lot further away then we may think...