This morning when I dropped Eric off at daycare, I heard a sweet story that made my eyes tear up.
One of the women who oversees Eric's daycare, "Susan", is also a substitute teacher at his school. She was assigned to a kindergarten class last week. One of the students in that class, whom I'll call "Lucy", has diabetes and wears an insulin pump. I've seen Lucy a few times in the nurse's office, and let me tell you, folks, they don't come any more darling than this child: think masses of strawberry blond curls, sparkling blue eyes, upturned nose, bright smile... Eric is a charmer, but he pales in comparison to this sweetie-pie.
Anyway, Susan said that when she saw Lucy's pump on her first day in that class, she asked Lucy if she knew Eric. Lucy lit up. "Yes! He's my diabetes buddy!"
The back story to this, apparently, is that at the beginning of the year, Eric was in the nurse's office when Lucy came in one day, uncharacteristically downcast. Asked by the nurse what the matter was, Lucy said sadly that all the kids in her class kept asking questions about her pump, and she was sad and confused because no one else had a pump like her. Eric, hearing this, came to her and gave her a big hug and said, "No, Don't be sad, don't cry. You're not the only one with diabetes. See, I have a pump too!" and he showed her his pump. They spent a few happy minutes comparing his (blue) and hers (red) and talking about being a kid with diabetes, coming to the nurse, getting shots, etc. Lucy left happy to know there is someone else like her in the school, and Eric has a diabetes buddy.
Now, I have had a rough couple of weeks, between Mark's T2 diagnosis and putting our beloved rottie, Griffin, to sleep... but I think I would've teared up at this story anyway. It's just so sweet that Eric, who can't recall any life that *didn't* include diabetes, would know just how to comfort another child who is still making the transition to school life as a "different" kid.