It isn’t easy for a celebrity mom who has always been part of the showbiz industry to come to terms with her daughter’s shocking diagnosis, but Brooke Shields’ made sure to embrace her eldest daughter, Rowan Henchy’s Type 1 diabetes with strength and grace.
According to PEOPLE, when Brooke’s daughter Henchy was a high school freshman, she began to notice some serious health setbacks. Henchy opened up the symptoms of the condition that might appear normal but can be fatal if it goes undiagnosed.
Rowan further explained that managing her diabetes was a 24/7 job and she was never off duty. This meant also managing her pump and a Dexcom patch on her stomach, which were part of a continuous glucose monitor system that sent readings to a smartphone app.
Rowan Henchy spoke about her diabetes symptoms and said that the foremost sign was the fact that even though she ate two full meals a day, she was losing a lot of weight, followed by the urge to constantly pee. She then said that the third sign was the fact that her eyesight started deteriorating. Lastly, she also suffered from a terrible toe infection. ( wounds heal slower in diabetes patients).
“So these are blaring, red flags for undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes,” she added. Thankfully it finally got diagnosed later that year, and Rowan has been managing the condition ever since. Now a college senior at Wake Forest University, where her younger sister Grier also started college, she seems to be happy and living her life. ( thanks to social media).
According to Shields’, as a mother, she said that it took a while for her to feel comfortable with the fact that her daughter had this condition, but learning about the condition and having the tools to manage it made all the difference.
She also said that Rowan matured after the diagnosis and now knows how to manage it well. “She became very competent. She had to grow up quickly.” the actress added.
Meanwhile, Shields shares Rowan with Brooke’s second husband, comedy writer and director Chris Henchy. Moreover, Shields noted that the diagnosis was one reason that Rowan switched schools and went to an all-girls school. Brooks termed the whole transition as an ” adjustment” for her young daughter.
On the work front, Brooke has also done her part to raise awareness. She just concluded a film, Quarter, a coming-of-age comedy about a young woman living with Type 1 diabetes, written and starring Kelly Bascom, based on her understanding of living with the condition.
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