11-year-old diabetic Kristina Buttigieg urges both young and old individuals with the same condition to speak about their condition to raise awareness and to safeguard their own health.

Kristina tells diabetics that they should tell people who spend a lot of time with them to be up front about their condition and not feel shy since if they don't, this can pose a danger to their lives.

"Failing to speak up, by alerting the school head or teacher for that matter in the case of children, can have dramatic consequences since, if a student suffers from the same condition and experiences a fit, no one would know how to react or how to go about the matter.

"This in itself can instil unnecessary panic among those surrounding the sufferer at the time of a fit and if left untreated, could be dangerous," Kristina said.

Interviewed by this newsroom to coincide with World Diabetes Day, which is being marked today, Kristina says she intends conveying her message to a wider audience during a speech she is expected to give today to the rest of the school's attendees.

She is convinced that there are some cases of students who have diabetes but their parents try to conceal this fact.

Fits and medication

Kristina has experienced fits in the past and has been administered a special injection to snap her out of the loss of consciousness which comes about as a result of a fit which is triggered when she experiences abrupt and very low sugar levels.

Kristina says that while uncomfortable, such instances are very rare thanks to the advances made in insulin. Her father told this newsroom that it's quite an unpleasant sight to see his daughter go into a fit, but added that luckily this does not happen often and living with diabetes is very normal.

Diagnosed at only age six, Kristina says that although she did not digest the fact that she has to stay away from her favourite treat, chocolate, she states that the bright side of things is that she has to stick to a healthy diet. 

"It all started when my parents realised that I was drinking abnormal amounts of water, no amount being enough to quench my thirst.

"My blood levels were tested and found to be 37; normally a child my age with controlled Type 1 diabetes would have sugar levels of between 4 and 8," she said. That same week she experienced this she lost four kilos in a matter of a week.

And thanks to the national health system, she gets free insulin which at least is less of a financial burden on her parents. "I give myself up to four shots of insulin a day; it is important not to miss any shots because my sugar level in the blood will go high. In the long term missing shots could have serious consequences," she explained.

She further explained that people with diabetes have a lack of insulin. Insulin is the key hormone that controls the flow of glucose (sugar) in and out of the cells of the body.

She describes the effects of a lack of insulin as very undesirable, mainly dizziness. 

She has only words of praise for those who have assisted her medically ever since she was diagnosed, caring to mention the medical professionals one by one, namely Dr John Torpiano, nurse Moira Grixti and Dr Nancy Formosa and all the staff at the Diabetes Clinic and the Department of Paediatrics.

Treatment

Questioned about how it would change her life if a cure for diabetes was found tomorrow, she said that she has to go into a clinic at the school each day to administer herself the insulin and therefore, if a cure is found, this task of having to do so frequently would be eliminated at least and "I can be like the rest of my school friends".

Kristina wears a dog tag with her name, ID card number and the condition she has been diagnosed with inscribed on it.

"When I was diagnosed, the hospital gave me a mascot (a cartoon character, a lion, who is 'diabetic') along with an information booklet and DVD which contains very relevant information one must know."

She explained that even animals can suffer from the condition. "Scientists have to date conducted experiments on diabetic mice," she said sporting a smile.

Although a condition like diabetes brings about some sacrifices, it is not the end of the world to have diabetes, she said.