Former Bachelor star Catherine Giudici is asking her followers for help ahead of son Isaiah’s first Halloween since his type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
“Originally, I wanted to share a video of me having tips and recipes for newly diagnosed type one [kids] … Halloween tips,” Giudici, 40, said in an Instagram video on Wednesday, October 28. “[I realized] I don’t have any, and I need some.”
The reality TV personality explained that this is her family’s first year adjusting to Isaiah’s diagnosis.
“I need your help to make sure that this first Halloween doesn’t absolutely suck for my boy,” she continued. “I have a feeling it might suck a little bit because he loves candy, and I don’t know how to manage all this stuff. So, if anybody has tips on how to allow my boy to trick-or-treat and partake in all the Halloween activities, please comment and share. I need to know them. Anything that has to do with him or our other kids, or tips for our family, are welcome. Thank you.”
Giudice shares Isaiah, 8, and kids Samuel, 10, and Mia, 6, with husband Sean Lowe.
Several fans shared their tips and tricks in the comments section.
“Have you heard of doing the Switch Witch??” one user wrote. “Your kids leave the Halloween candy out and ‘she’ switches it with a toy or something they might like better.”
A fellow type 1 diabetes mom wrote, “Trick or treat as normal. There will be [blood sugar] lows from the walking and excitement, so use the candy as a treat! Just dose with insulin as needed. No reason to treat it or him any differently.”
A fan who has type 1 diabetes themselves also suggested treating the night like a typical Halloween.
“Let him eat the candy. He needs to feel normal,” they wrote. “Suppressing the fun is only going to make him bitter. He already feels different. Don’t make him THAT different. Obviously, monitor and always give enough insulin. Don’t let him go overboard and just binge. But that’s a healthy practice for ALL kids, not just diabetics.”
Giudici and Lowe, 42, revealed Isaiah’s diagnosis in July.
“This past week has been a rough one for the Lowes. Our precious boy Isaiah was admitted to Children’s Hospital and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes,” Giudici wrote via Instagram at the time. “Our wonderful pediatrician noticed some symptoms at our annual appointment that stuck out to her.”
She continued, “He had lost 11 pounds since his last visit (we thought he just had a growth spurt) and had been drinking and peeing A LOT (it’s really hot here in the summer). Otherwise healthy and active, she ran some tests and sent us to the emergency room based on those alarming results. Thankful for the nurses, doctors and staff who gave us a four-year college education on his condition in four days.”
In an update days later, Giudici shared that Isaiah was “doing better” following his hospitalization and “getting used to this new normal and reeeeally getting used to being spoiled.”
Lowe reflected on the experience in his own update.
“It was hard because, as far as we knew, and Isaiah knew, he was a healthy boy,” he explained. “He didn’t really show any symptoms outside of frequent urination, and the next thing he knows, he’s getting blood tests and shots every two hours, which of course he hates as an 8-year-old. … God is good, and we know Isaiah is going to be OK.”
