A Little Story

This time I'm going to tell you a little story.


One day, when Cassandra was just an 11 year old girl she and her mother went to a meeting for girl's who were about to turn 12 in her church.


It was as fun as a meeting could be, but the best part were the refreshments.  (Of course it was the best part!  Refreshments always are!)  Cassandra was delighted when she saw that it was pink lemonade and cookies.  She grabbed a cookie and grabbed a lemonade.  And because she was a growing 11 year old girl, she ate them very quickly. 


As she was drinking the lemonade, she thought, "this tastes kind of tangy."  Her mom noticed the taste too and became concerned.  "Is this sugar free?"  She asked a couple of the leaders.  No one knew why she would ask such a question but they went and checked. 


It did. 


Very concerned now they went home and Cassandra was placed on a 3-day (for that is the time it would take to level out her Phe levels) no-Phe diet; which consisted mostly of applesauce and lemon pudding. 


And Cassandra was okay.  (Thanks to her mom.)


Now, you're probably asking "Why were they serving little 11-year old girls sugar-free lemonade???"


Here's the reason.  One of the other 11-year old girls had diabetes.  And in the effort to accommodate for her diet, they forgot about Cassandra's.


Sometimes, diets clash.  People forget.  Or they don't connect certain foods to Phe.  Or maybe they just never understood the diet in the first place.


So you need to responsible for yourself and read labels whenever possible.  I learned it the hard way. :P  The only people who will really understand your diet are: you're parents, your dietician, and you.  (And of course other PKU'ers.)


I don't mean to come off preachy.  But it's true, and it needs to be said.  Your diet relies on you to take care of it. 


But, don't worry.  Because you're not totally alone.  There are people willing to help, just remember that they don't know everything about the diet, and most likely there are times when they'll forget all about it. 


So be responsible!  Drink your milk!  And count your Phe!  And smile, because life is good!