Koshy Varghese, on behalf of Gifty Koshy, 12
Caregiver

It was on 7th August 2006, that Koshy’s daughter Gifty was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She was 9 years old then. She had symptoms of diabetes since May 2006, losing a considerable amount of weight and often feeling very hungry and thirsty. Koshy and his family never thought that at this age, Gifty would have to deal with the troubles associated with diabetes. “We were initially shocked, and it took us some time to come to terms with the reality of it”, he recalls.

Koshy and his family took the help of an endocrinologist, who then recommended the required insulin dosage for Gifty. Also, he found the help of a Johnson & Johnson representative very useful. “Fortunately, we were in touch with a Johnson & Johnson Representative who introduced us to ONETOUCH^®. He was very supportive, and we started using ONETOUCH^® Ultra^® to check Gifty’s blood glucose regularly”.

Regular checking of Gifty’s blood glucose helped Koshy and the family to know how much insulin she has to take each time, as well as her blood glucose reading after each meal. She was taking four to five blood glucose readings every day, which helped them establish the relationship with the quantity of food taken to the amount of insulin needed. Koshy also mentioned the importance of exercise, and how it helped her to control her blood glucose readings. It took almost a month to regularize the insulin dose required for his daughter Gifty, and praising the diabetes management team for their role in this, he said, “We were very thankful to the endocrinologist and dietician that helped us in managing my daughter’s condition”.

Another aspect that he liked about the ONETOUCH^® Ultra^® meter was the simplicity of operating it. “My daughter Gifty, even at age 9, was taking her readings alone and tabulating it on a regular basis. And eventually, she also started administering her insulin doses herself without my or her mother’s help”.

As a result of all this, she started regaining her lost weight, and eventually put on 9kg in 2 years. Her periodic checks show that she is of normal health, and all her organs are performing well. “She is now healthy, and is attending school regularly. She is very good in her studies and active in sports and other activities at school”.

Now she has an average fasting reading of 100mg/dL and an after meal reading of 135mg/dL.

He is very happy with how Johnson & Johnson helped him and his daughter, in keeping her blood glucose levels in check.