BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Kayson Hanly is the youngest local diabetic patient treated at the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. On Friday afternoon, he was awarded as the 2019 Children’s Hospital Week Local Champion.
When Kayson was a baby, he had multiple visits to the doctor and it wasn’t until he was 13 months and was taken to the emergency room that he was diagnosed correctly.
“ The doctor took one look at him and said, ‘I don’t want to scare you but I’m pretty sure he is a type 1 diabetic’,” said Kayson’s father Cody Hanly.
That diagnosis was the beginning of a life-changing journey for the entire family.
“And that’s when we got the crash course as parents, it's going to be five shots a day of insulin injected into him and 8 to 10 finger pricks to check his blood.”
Kayson is the youngest local diabetic patient treated in the PICU at the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital.
Officials say that’s one patient out of more than 1,000 pediatric diabetic patients in Kern County.
Six years later, the family has adapted to their new lifestyle. Kayson also has a blood sugar monitor on the side of his arm that allows his parents to monitor his levels without constantly poking his fingers.
He also plays baseball and recently joined jujutsu to stay active, helping keep his levels under control.
