Matayo, type 1 diabetes
- Tanzania
I wish I could become a professor...
In the words of Neema, Matayo's mother
My son Matayo loves to play football with his friends. He always plays it in school and when he is at home. And most of the time he plays it like any other boy. But sometimes when he has been running too much, he gets very tired.
I first realised that Matayo had diabetes when he was 4 years old. I took him to the hospital because he had lost his appetite and was tired all the time. The doctor told me that Matayo had diabetes.
I cried and cried. It was a very bad feeling, because I knew that he will have it for the rest of his life. And that made me sad. Our family felt very sorry for us. They all came to see Matayo afterwards – and some of them travelled on the bus for 3 days just to come and visit us.
In the beginning, Matayo cried a lot when I injected him. But today it is a natural part of his life. I have tried to educate him about diabetes. But I think he is still too young to understand – even though he tries to.
It is not difficult to control Matayo’s diabetes if I stay with him all the time. But of course I can’t be there always. I have told his teacher and headmaster at his school that he has diabetes. They know his symptoms now. So if he gets very tired and is yawning in class, they call me.
But I also see my son suffer sometimes, and that is the most irritating thing about his diabetes. Some days he gets so tired from walking to and from school. And of course he can’t eat the same food as everyone else. He has to stay away from soft drinks with sugar. And at home I cook him a different meal than the rest of the family.
But I think most of the time Matayo doesn’t give his diabetes that much thought. And I know his friends don’t either. Besides football, he loves watching cartoon films and studying mathematics. Matayo is a bright student. And I hope that he one day becomes the professor he wishes to be.
