JAY — Ryan Welch is among approximately 1.25 million Americans diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes.
The Chumuckla Elementary School fifth-grader, 11, can thank his teacher for learning about this so soon. Due to her knowledge of the disease, "a very serious and possibly life threatening event was averted," his grandfather, John Dixon, said.
Melissa Johnson, Welch's teacher, said she lately noticed the boy often felt cold and tired in her class. She thought this was unusual since she kept her room relatively warm.
Johnson mentioned Welch's symptoms during a parent-teacher conference and thought they could be Type-1, also known as juvenile diabetes, since another teacher, Tracey Campbell, has a daughter with the same disease. She said the school provides education to teachers, which includes lessons on diabetes symptoms.
Campbell happened to walk by at just the right moment to overhear the theory, which she said seemed to align with the symptoms.
"He is normally a very good student and he had become lethargic and not his usual self,” Dixon said. “One of the teachers recognized the possible symptoms of juvenile diabetes. They checked his blood sugar and it was high."
Campbell said her first blood tester only displayed "high," meaning Welch's number was higher than the machine could read.
Campbell said her daughter, Kaitlyn, now 24, was diagnosed in the fifth grade as well. She said Kaitlyn slept in her parents' bed for some time in case she needed to be quickly tested. "It's a rollercoaster … It's stressful, but I know what they're going through," Campbell said.
Welch said he's feeling better now that he's on insulin, the hormone of which his body produces too little, and says he's on his way to getting an insulin pump to replace his regular shots.
Campbell said she’s happy that her daughter's situation gave her the knowledge to help another student.
"It was divine intervention,” Johnson and Campbell said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'It was divine intervention'