Cape Breton family says school lacks proper support to assist child with diabetes
CBC
A family in Cape Breton is fighting to get an extra teaching assistant for their child who is suffering from asymptomatic Type 1 diabetes.
Rhys Fewer is in primary at Bras d'Or Elementary School. But he has been homeschooled for the past month because his family is concerned for his safety.
Fewer's grandmother, Corinne Foster, says there are four full-time students in Rhys's class who require a teaching assistant. She says two more part-time students who need a teaching assistant will soon be joining the class.
But she says there is one teaching assistant in the classroom.
“I just don’t feel like I’m being watched enough,” said Rhys, who is five.
For his family, not having someone to actively monitor Rhys's blood sugar levels is problematic.
“There have been several mistakes made in relation to his Type 1 diabetes,” says Foster.
“We can't have that. We need Rhys to come home at the end of the day to us. We love Rhys so much, and we cannot stand back and let this happen to our grandson.”
Rhys’s body cannot produce the proper amount of insulin — the hormone that lowers the amount of sugar in the bloodstream.
Rhys gets insulin shots every time he eats and when his blood sugar levels are too high. He requires a teaching assistant to help him monitor those levels.
A device on his arm monitors his levels. It sends alerts to his phone when they are too low or too high.
Foster said Rhys was left alone with his phone turned off in some instances while in school. She said the family worried something could happen in those hours.
Laura O’Driscoll from Diabetes Canada says that it is important to help young children monitor their levels so they can learn how to manage their diabetes from a young age.
“We need to ensure that policies are implemented consistently across the province, whether it be in a rural setting, an urban setting, mainland or Cape Breton,” says O’Driscoll. "Otherwise, more gaps and issues will continue to jeopardize care.”
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