Feng Szu-yun (方思云), a diabetic child from Yilan County who had previously been rejected by six kindergartens, had her story told in a moving online documentary.
Fudge Girl (牛奶糖女孩), a four-minute documentary about Feng’s story, was produced by the Yilan County Diabetic Mellitus Support Foundation and aims to highlight the struggles of children with the disease.
The documentary was given its title because Feng’s favorite food is fudge, the foundation said.
Photo: Yilan Aiyi Association
The short film has had more than 200,000 views on Facebook.
Feng, who attends Shunan Elementary School in Yilan’s Dongshan Township (東山) as a second-grade student, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was three years old, said Feng’s mother, Chang Hui-hsin (張鏸心).
Chang said her daughter suffered from a cold that persisted for two months, so she took Feng to a hospital and asked for a blood test.
The family was shocked by the results, Chang said.
“The doctor told us: ‘Your daughter has type 1 diabetes and she will need insulin injections for the rest of her life,’” she said.
The family did not understand why Feng had diabetes, as no other family members suffer from the condition, but doctors said Feng’s condition was not genetic and that they did not know how to prevent it, she added.
The first time Feng received an insulin injection, she had to be held down because she was hysterical, a process that left both mother and child upset, Chang said.
Feng now requires four insulin injections per day, with the shots and tests of her blood glucose levels leaving her with many needle marks on her skin, Chang said, adding that Feng’s diet must be carefully monitored and her insulin injections precisely measured to control her blood glucose levels.
Chang said that her daughter was rejected by six different kindergartens because they were unwilling to care for a sick child, saying that they did not have sufficient “medical resources.”
Feng has grown into a self-reliant, optimistic child and has learned to give herself insulin injections and administer blood tests by herself, Chang said, adding that despite Feng’s positive disposition, she still cries before sleeping at night and asks her mother why her insulin injections have failed to cure her, and why other children did not need them.
Chang said her daughter was disappointed when she learned that she could not attend extra-curricular art classes, so she now teaches Feng drawing and painting at home because they are her favorite activities.
Chang said Feng she is marked as different because she needs to eat and give herself insulin injections on time, and she cannot eat or drink the same food, snacks and beverages enjoyed by her classmates.
“I am worried that my daughter will face discrimination,” Chang said, adding that Feng already hides in the bathroom to give herself insulin injections to avoid unwanted attention at school.
Feng’s dream is to be cured of diabetes, Chang said.
Chang said she joined the Yilan County Diabetes Mellitus Support Foundation to use her experience to help people with diabetes and that she pays regular home visits to diabetic patients, adding that she wishes to end discrimination against people with the disease.
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