People who suffer from the type I diabetes have to experience a lot but if it is a small boy who has to struggle against the illness it is more tragic and we can see this in the given text. Jacob was a little child when he first had an opportunity to understand how it is to be different from the others. But still in the elementary school it had been easier for him to maintain his treatment, particularly his injections, than it appeared to be in the middle school. It can be explained by the factor that at that age it did not seem strange that your mother had to come to help you with something because every child was in need of such care. Later in the middle school children are more independent and what is more they do not want to be different from the others. This is the key point for understanding why Jack could not proceed with his usual injection routine.
Another thing that should mentioned is that there is a wide range of complications that could be caused by not following the diet. First of all, these are the problems with blood vessels, nerves, heart, kidneys, eyes and feet. If you do not stick to your diet this can even lead to amputation or heart attack and what is the worst in this situation – people suffering from diabetes cannot even have the usual symptoms of a heart attack (2013). So it seems very strange that Jacob being aware of all the possible consequences still does not pay enough attention to his health. It could be suggested that he is too tired to proceed living in such a way, always being careful about his diet and exercises. He is just an average boy who would like to live an ordinary life.
Furthermore, Jacob is really worried about what his schoolmates think about him. That is understandable because middle-school children always want to be similar to their friends, not to stand out from the crowd. Of course, children are very interesting and want to know everything what is going on around. But I think that they might be conscientious of the situation and that Jack just imagines that they are talking about him and his injections. However, it would not be a surprise if they really discussed Jacob’s disease but they cannot be blamed for this because they are just kids. The best way out for the boy could be to explain the essence of his sickness, the treatment and the possible results of not following it to his classmates.
Another important point that should be considered is the cost of T1 diabetes treatment. According to Juvenile Diabetes Cure Alliance research (Gorin, 2013) the average costs of direct treatment for people with T1 diabetes is three times as much as non-diabetic. It costs about $10 000 per person annually and it would cost $100 000 per 10 years. The numbers are really shocking. This means that Jacob would have to waste a lot of money for his treatment in future. Of course, if he has medical insurance it will cover a part of the costs. In case he does not have it he will have to pay a lot to feel better. In such a way not following regime may result into huge extra costs for him and his family.
References
- Gorin, A. (2013). The Economic Impact of Type 1 Diabetes. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://www.thejdca.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/The-Economic-Impact-of-Type-1-Diabetes.pdf
