At just 13 months old, Montrealer Jérémy faced a medical crisis that changed his life forever.

Born prematurely and living with Down syndrome, he had been developing well — until one day he got a fever and began having trouble breathing. At his local hospital, doctors quickly realized that his blood sugar levels were dangerously high and his blood had become acidic — a clear sign of type 1 diabetes.

“Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in childhood, and it affects about one in 300 kids. It’s an autoimmune condition that means the body’s defense system turns against our own organ instead of just fighting against bacteria, viruses, and parasites,” explained Dr. Julia von Oettingen, pediatric endocrinologist and director for the diabetes clinic at the Montreal Child

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