Back in June I posted a blog about a Canadian family in which three out of four children have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. That's unusual, to be sure. At the time, I wondered how many other families out there have had to deal with something like this. Well, there is at least one other one out there that turned up in a little Seattle Times local news item: The Watkins family of Bothell also consists of mom, dad and four kids and, again, three of the four have Type 1 diabetes. Daughter Austyn (now twenty-one) was diagnosed at age eleven. One year later, son Lucas (now seventeen) was also diagnosed at age ten. Later, son Jake (now eight) was diagnosed. The family's fourth child, Cole (eleven) so far shows no sign he's headed down the same path.

Mother Stephanie Watkins downplays the experience, saying it's just something you learn to manage day-by-day. "We don't feel sorry for ourselves. Everyone has something to cope with and this is ours. Taking care of diabetes has become natural, just like brushing our teeth." She even says there's been an up-side to the situation: "Our kids are good at math because they have to calculate their carbohydrates and insulin ratio." Wow, how about that for a great attitude? On the other hand, this is a mom who has been dealing with this for ten years. I guess you make your peace with it and become super-pragmatic.