The Carmona family says they made a drastic change to their lives at the end of 2021, when their daughter, Valentina, got sick.

"It first started with UTI's, urinary tract infections, and we were getting medications for that, and it wasn't getting any better," Valentina's father, Kevin Carmona, said.

Kevin says Valentina, at just 9 years old, was also tired and fatigued, she lost weight quickly and was always thirsty. They made the decision to take her to an urgent care.

"That's when they found she had higher than normal sugar in her urine," Kevin said. "[The doctor] ran blood work again and that's when they confirmed she was high in her blood sugar, extremely high, to the point where we were at the hospital. That's when they told us she had Type 1 Diabetes."

A diagnosis that came with a lot of questions for the Carmona family, and where they found community and answers when they walked through the doors of the South Texas Juveniles Diabetes Association.

STJDA offered classes and programs and connected them with other families going through the same things they were. 

STJDA Founder Debra Franco says that was the goal of the organization.

"So that's how STJDA was born, it was born out of need. We needed it, our son needed it, but the community needed it too. Fourteen years later, we are still serving the community, we have nine programs now that support our families of children that have diabetes," Franco said.

Over the last three years, Valentina has learned to manage her diagnosis. Now at 12 years old, she has a daily routine when she gets to school to keep her blood sugar levels in check.

"I just go to the nurse in the morning and I use my Omni Pod to put the carbs that I'm eating, and I have to put my level, and it gives me what to put for my units. That's the same thing I do for lunch, and if I'm low I will go to the nurse, and she will have me eat," Valentina said.

Valentina will need to manage her Type 1 Diabetes for the rest of her life. She shared this message for anyone dealing with the shock of a new diagnosis.

"Do not worry and that I am going to be ok," Valentina said.

HEB and South Texas Health Systems are providing free glucose screenings all month long. For the full schedule, click here.

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