By Phoebe Donald Robinson / Community Columnist

Life can forever change in a moment. For Mindy and Ryan Hermecz of Calera, that moment was Feb. 24, 2014, when they learned that 10-month-old daughter Rylan Katherine had Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). T1D is a life threatening, chronic autoimmune disease with no cure in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, an essential hormone that turns food into energy. T1D strikes the young for no rhyme or reason.
On Feb. 23, Rylan was lethargic and throwing up. By nightfall, she was a very sick baby, almost in a coma, and admitted to Children’s Hospital ICU where her blood sugar was over 800.
“I actually knew a lot about Type 1 Diabetes before Rylan’s diagnosis,” said Mindy, former teacher at Elvin Hill Elementary, AMSTI UM 3-5 math specialist, and member of GFWC Alabama Vignette Club. “God has been preparing me to be her mommy for a long time. My sorority in college gave to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) as our philanthropy. Also, I have taught some great kids that had T1D. I learned how to care for them in my classroom and the symptoms of high and low blood sugar.”
“Our life has changed dramatically since her diagnosis,” continued Mindy. “We have to check Rylan’s blood sugar 6-8 times a day, even in the middle of the night. It is a constant 24 hour day job, but she is worth it. It is also very expensive.  Between two types of insulin, syringes, test strips, etc. it can add up to over $400 out of pocket expenses every month.”
“We thought we had figured out this parenting thing, but God sent us a curve ball. We know that God has a purpose for our lives and Rylan’s. God let Rylan stay here to be a testimony and T1D has made our family stronger.”
Mindy, Ryan and Rylan will walk at the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sept. 28, 2014, at Veteran’s Park in Hoover to raise funds for diabetes research. Hopefully someday Type One will turn to Type NONE!
To learn more about T1D and Rylan’s life see the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVIPDXERfV0. To donate to JDRF and for Rylan’s walk: http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?team_id=154231&pg=team&fr_id=3903.