Despite diabetes, Maria does not quit sports

Nine-year-old Maria is from Kharkiv. The girl has been playing sports all her short life. At first it was gymnastics, then dancing. For the past two years, Maria has been fond of figure skating and has won prizes at local competitions. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the girl has become a little volunteer. Together with her mother, they help the military by sewing nets, making candles, clothes and goodies. Mariya's older brother has been fighting as a volunteer since the beginning of the war. The girl is very worried about him and helps as much as she can.

But it turned out that she needs help now. One summer, Maria was very tired, ate very little, and lost weight. Her mom took her to the hospital to get tested. The results were terrible. Due to the critical level of sugar in her blood, Masha was admitted to the intensive care unit. The girl stayed there for three days, then she was transferred to a ward and treated for another two weeks. The diagnosis was type 1 diabetes. This diagnosis came as a shock to the family, but Mariya is a very strong girl and bravely accepts all the burdens of her illness. She and her mom started their lives over. Counting carbohydrates, measuring sugar before meals, after meals and at night. Then they bought a blood sugar sensor, and it made life much easier for Mariia. She slowly started doing her favorite sport again, which she couldn't do without the sensors. Masha took second place in the competition and is trying very hard to live a normal life.

Masha's mother is unable to work now because she needs constant care for her child. Kharkiv is constantly shelled, which, of course, does not inspire either the girl or her mother. Once every three months, Masha goes to the hospital for a checkup. The girl obediently follows the doctors' recommendations, follows a diet and goes in for sports, because she needs it for a full life. Now Mariya needs constant monitoring sensors, which her mother cannot buy for her on her own.