Show & Tell: Jeda Symonds-Poynton, Diabetes Mom

Jeda Symonds-Poynton is my Australian friend.  She is a fellow baby loss momma, but I've asked her to come to share with us today primarily to talk about her daughter Emalee's recent diabetes diagnosis.

Jeda, can you tell everyone how we know each other?

Our angel babies bought us together. Sometimes through a tragic loss you meet some amazing people!

Who shares your life with you?

My family consists of me, my husband Anthony, our daughter Liana (10), Emalee (5), Logan (2), and Maya (1). A crazy and busy family but an amazing one!

You inspire me because you are such an advocate for your daughter Emalee who was diagnosed with diabetes. Can you talk a bit about what that has been like for you and for her?

Emalee having diabetes has changed our whole families lives! When I lost Kayla I felt like I died too.  Liana didn't just lose a sister, she also lost a mother for a while. The day Emalee was born breathing was the day I was reborn, she saved me, she fixes my broken heart and she is my hero. When Emalee was diagnosed with type 1,  it killed me all over again. I wanted to be able to fix her as she did me but there was nothing I could do.  I still cry and ask why her, why me! I just want healthy children. Emalee has 4 needles a day, 2 in the morning and 2 at night before she eats. She also has to have her finger pricked every 3 hours and it doesn't stop in the day. I also have to check her through the night every 3 hours to make sure she doesn't hypo in her sleep which can be deadly! But everyday we fight with and for her and we get better at managing it as well. It's only been 9 months since she was diagnosed but it feels like forever!

Ideally, how do you see Emalee handling her diabetes in 5 years? 10 years? How do you plan to help her accomplish this?

In 10 years from now, I'm hoping for a cure. They are saying something amazing will happen in about 5 years. We plan on doing what we are doing now! Teaching her the foods she can have and can't have too much of. She has always been an active and pretty healthy child but now sometimes we have to tell her she can't have too much of fruits as they make her sugar levels rise high so it's just all about how much she can have!

What inspires you about Emalee?

Well, I can certainly say she is stronger then me. She has taken to her new life amazingly. With her starting kindergarten this year, I really thought it would be so hard on her, but she has been so great with doing her own level testing at school.  She sees all her friends being able to go up and get whatever they want from the canteen and she knows she can't do that, but she is okay with it. When we go to birthday parties, when we tell her she has to stop eating she does. She is only 5 but my god she is so grown up. We do have our bad days and days where she doesn't want this and doesn't want that but like I said, she is 5 and kids will be kids I look at her as my inspiration!

She sounds like an amazing little girl!  Who else inspires you?

My mother inspires me. She is a very sick lady but still stands head strong. She has had many heart attacks, strokes and also suffers from MS. My whole life I've seen her work hard for my sister and I. She lives for helping others. At the moment she is waiting to have an operation on her legs as she has no circulation in her legs what so ever and lives in pain but still manages to always come over to see her grandkids. My kids are what are keeping her alive! If I can grow up and be half the mother she is then I know I have done my job.

What are your passions?

My passions- WOW, having four kids I really don't get much time to myself these days. I've been a mum since I was 17 so everything I've done has involved my children but I do love going out for dinner and watching a movie. I love going out on the weekends to families house and sitting around chatting and watching the kids play with their cousins. So I guess when it comes to it all of my passions all come back to spending time with family and my kids.


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