The story of Aika – How a one-year-old is living with Diabetes

The past few months have been a gruesome learning curve for Aminath Azeela (Azy) and Adam Naseer, parents of Hawwa Aika Adam. In just a few days of worsening health conditions and frightening hospital visits, they were informed of their one-year-old baby being a Type-1 Diabetic patient.  
 
Aika is reportedly one of the youngest patients who has Diabetes in the Maldives. Type-1 Diabetes is a lifetime condition where a person’s body (pancreas) is unable to produce sufficient amounts of insulin. Insulin is a hormone essential in the process of digesting glucose intakes for the body to use. In simpler terms, a person diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes will require continuous monitoring and external intake of insulin to maintain a healthy glucose level at all times.  
 
The symptoms started at the age of 1 year and 9 months when Aika was recovering from Covid19 and persistent flu that followed. It was rather simple to feed Aika since solid food was recently introduced into her diet and she was particularly fond of sweet food. However, it started getting increasingly difficult to get Aika to have a tummy-full around this time. Worried about her health, Azy took her to the Health Center. 

 
The visits became frequent as Aika was first tested for Dengue and given antibiotics. She reacted rather unfavorably to the medication and had vomiting episodes that sent them to the neighboring island of Rasdhoo immediately. The family consulted a resident pediatrician at the Alif Alif Atoll Hospital and was alarmed to be redirected again, this time to Male’ on an emergency basis. Tests showed that Aika had blood sugar levels exceeding 300 mg/dL and was in grave danger.  
 
Caught up in a rush, Azy and Adam braced for just about anything that could come their way. Little Aika was admitted into the ER and later moved to the ICU where she spent days being poked for blood withdrawals, tested, and monitored day and night. Aika gets scared at the sight of approaching nurses, and it has not completely gone away to date. She still wakes up startled in the middle of the night too and has become crankier ever since. 
 
It was hard for Azy to watch her daughter in this situation but the best she could do was be brave for her. Two days later, Azy and Adam, were told that Aika has Type-1 Diabetes, something the parents had only heard of before but were not fully aware of. Most of the information they learned about it was from the internet, in addition to the communications with the healthcare providers. Azy had to quickly become a healthcare giver herself, learning how to test blood glucose levels and administer insulin to her one-year-old baby.  

 
As expected, a major lifestyle change followed for Aika and her parents. Despite Aika’s behavioral changes, the family is slowly adjusting to limiting and filtering her food intake. At times it is easier said than done as Aika has to be treated differently than the other toddlers in the extended family living together. She gets tested at least four times a day on the clock, and Azy gives attentive detail to Aika’s insulin shots when needed.  
 
Being associated with the Diabetic Society of Maldives has immensely boosted Azy’s confidence in being present, aware, and able to care for her diabetic child. The family has to otherwise visit Male regularly to consult a doctor but with the assistance of DSM, Aika now has access to a trained health service provider in her home island of Thoddoo. Azy cannot be more thankful for the continuous support and checkups on Aika by DSM and appreciates their efforts in spreading awareness on the matter to the public.