A Renfrew dad-of-two is raising awareness of diabetes symptoms in infants after his sons were diagnosed aged just one.
Steven Pollock, 40, started noticing issues with son Ryan, now 12, when he was just a baby. The worried parents took him to the doctor because he struggled to settle and had very wet nappies.
Steven's younger son Austin, now five, was also showing similar signs, with excessive urinating and restlessness at the same age resulting in the Renfrew dad and his wife Gillian having him tested, reports the Record.
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Steven described the experience as "scary and concerning" but believes it is vital for parents to spot the signs early to be able to manage the potentially deadly autoimmune condition.
He said: "The boys were constantly restless as babies, but I think the biggest sign for us was that they would often flood their nappies.
"My wife has a history of diabetes in her family so we were quite lucky that we picked up on the signs quickly and they were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
"But I think for most parents, it can be hard to pick up on the symptoms when they are so young.
"If you've never had a child before it is hard to tell that them being restless or even urinating too much could be something more serious.
"It was scary and concerning at the time for us at the time, because the boys were only one year old because you don't want to think that your child has something that could kill them if not managed properly.
"But the illness can be very dangerous if you make the slightest mistake with treatment, so it is better to know about it."
Now that Steven and his family have an awareness and understanding of the disease, they are able to manage Ryan and Austin's care.
Steven continued: "The boys now tell us when they are feeling tired or thirsty, which are the usual signs that their insulin levels are too low.
"They also remember to take their diabetes monitoring kits with them if we were going away anywhere."
Oil worker Steven is now planning to take on the Mullardoch Mountains challenge in June in a bid to raise awareness of juvenile diabetes. He will scale 12 peaks in 24 hours in a bid to raise awareness of juvenile diabetes.
He added: "It's going to be tough. The mountains are the most remote in Scotland. There is a lot of ridge walking with massive drops on either side.
"It's pretty crazy, but I want to give back to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation who have been invaluable to us with their support and advice."
Donations can be made here.
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