In this special 3-person episode, I’m speaking to Sharon Harrison-Barker and her son Lewis.
 
Lewis’s son Marty was just 10 months old when he was rushed to hospital in DKA in 2017, plunging the whole family into crisis and shifting the dynamic of the family forever.
 
Today Marty is a happy, healthy 8-year-old, but those days in the hospital were the some of the worst of dad Lewis and nan Sharon’s lives, as well as their respective spouses.
 
The weeks and months after his son’s diagnosis remain a blur for Lewis, and it was the concerned words of a stranger that prompted him to seek help for his mental health. In this chat, Lewis opens up about how from the moment he received the initial call about his son’s declining health, he completely shut down. ‘It sent me into self-preservation mode. I felt like people didn’t need me to be emotional, they needed me to be functional.’
 
In this episode we hear two different perspectives of the same very difficult experience. Nan and dad tell me how Marty’s diagnosis has changed them as a family, sharing some of their memories with each other for the very first time.
 
Their relationship is a testament to how clear communication - as well as boundaries - have allowed Marty to thrive through nursery, school and now as a big brother, but have also helped Lewis and his wife Steph to meet the ever-evolving needs of Marty’s condition alongside their own as humans, parents, and partners.

CONNECT WITH SHARON
Sharon's Instagram.

CONNECT WITH LEWIS 
Lewis's Instagram.

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SPONSOR MESSAGE:

Thanks to my episode sponsors Dexcom.

Pioneer and leader in Real-Time continuous glucose monitors,

Dexcom's goal is to simplify and improve diabetes management for every possible person with diabetes.

They have a choice of systems, so you can find the right one for your lifestyle at https://www.dexcom.com/