Sherwood High Junior Conor Pugh knows all too well the difficulties of having Type 1 Diabetes while in school with a regulated lunch period and class schedules controlling your day.
He was 14 years old and in eighth grade when he received his diagnosis. He spent a long time learning which foods were good for him, how to control his blood sugar when he ate too many carbohydrates and how to maintain a positive mindset.
So when it came time for the Life Scout from Brookville to design his Eagle Service project, he thought a lot about those like him. Each school year, 55 to 60 Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) students are newly diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and he wanted to smooth the way for them.
After much research and fundraising through a GoFundMe site and his family, Pugh created diabetes kits that MCPS will give to all newly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetics students in the coming school year.
The kit contains a shoulder bag, glucose tablets, ID bracelet, water bottle, insulin cooler, sharps container to store needs and a pocket calculator.
Sherwood School Nurse Irene Gumucio praised Pugh, noting, “From Day 1, he’s owned his disease and takes control of it. Without a doubt Connor, you have made this your superpower.”
His mother, Jeanne Pugh, said it was “very intense” when her son was first diagnosed. “It’s life changing. It becomes your whole world.”
Not only does her son take insulin six times a day whenever he eats meals and snacks, he sometimes has to do it even more to make corrections for his eating and lifestyle. “It’s overwhelming,” she said.
But Conor Pugh is not letting it keep him down. He takes lots of walks, camps with the scouts and hopes to study journalism in college.
To others with diabetes, Pugh advised, “Live life.”
Sherwood High School Senior Connor Pugh created kits for county students with Type 1 Diabetes for his Eagle Service Project. @mymcmedia @MCPS @MoCoDHHS pic.twitter.com/OOPLZHnpVu
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) June 13, 2023
