A mother whose 13-year-old son died from undiagnosed type 1 diabetes has shared the four major warning signs of the condition, saying she has helped 'save' 23 people by spreading awareness.
Beth Reynolds, 47, a leadership and management coach from Cardiff, said her son Peter Baldwin showed 'absolutely all' of the major symptoms in hindsight. She promised to share his story so 'his death would not be in vain'.
The four Ts
The four major symptoms are known as the four Ts – toilet, thirsty, tired, thinner. Peter displayed increased thirstiness while on a school trip to Germany in mid-December 2014, with Beth saying she encouraged him to drink more water when he sent her a text saying 'I'm really thirsty, mummy'.
Arriving home two days before Christmas, Peter had a cough and cold that Beth said progressed to being 'very flu-like'. She recalled: "The classic symptoms – toilet, thirsty, tired, thinner – he had absolutely all of them, but you could tick a box to (explain them away)."
"He'd lost a bit of weight because he had a growth spurt in puberty, he was drinking more because he was unwell, he was tired because he was unwell and he was going to the toilet more because he was drinking more because he was unwell. Unbeknownst to us at the time, these were all classic signs."
What happened
On New Year's Eve 2014, Beth took her son to a GP, where he was prescribed antibiotics after a chest infection was accurately identified. However, Peter's condition worsened over the next 24 hours.
The next day, New Year's Day 2015, Beth called 999 for help. A first responder 'took one look' at Peter, put an oxygen mask on him and pricked his finger. Beth said the medic was able to say with almost certainty that he had type 1 diabetes and was in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
According to Diabetes UK, DKA is a life-threatening medical emergency that sees the body break down fat when it does not have enough insulin. It causes harmful chemicals called ketones to build up and make the blood dangerously acidic.
Peter was then rushed to hospital, where he fell into a diabetic coma. He tragically died on January 6, 2015.
Impact and awareness
Beth, who is also a mother to Lia, 20, and Finley, five, told PA Real Life: "I promised Peter that his death would not be in vain and I would try to save as many other kids as I could in whatever way that looks like. I have a voice and I choose to use it for Peter."
Describing her son as the 'most amazing young man' with a 'bright future', Beth said her family has no history of diabetes and that Peter had 'no issues and no long-term health conditions', noting that he rarely missed school.
After their visit to a GP, Beth said she 'stuck to (her) guns' and insisted a first responder come to check on him when she was told to monitor his condition and take him to an out-of-hours GP. "I believe he would have died that night at home if we hadn't gone to hospital," she said.
Affecting more than 350,000 people in the UK, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. It can affect anyone at any age and occurs when the body's immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, meaning they can't produce any insulin. It cannot be prevented and there is currently no cure. Treatment is lifelong and involves insulin delivered by injection or pump.
Looking back on the day her son died, Beth said a doctor revealed a scan of Peter's brain showed 'no activity' and they apologised that there was 'nothing more they could do'. Beth and Peter's father, Stuart, were told they should say their final goodbyes.
On January 22, the family held a celebration of life for Peter, where they did a guard of honour and balloon release in his memory. Beth raised over £10,000 in two weeks by asking family and friends to donate money to Diabetes UK Cymru instead of donating flowers.
In 2023, Beth organised a national campaign called Rewrite Peter's Story, sending a box of resources to 'every single GP practice in Wales' to put the warning signs of type 1 diabetes on the top of their radar.
Colette Marshall, chief executive at Diabetes UK, told PA Real Life: "A type 1 diabetes diagnosis should never start with a medical emergency. Yet every year, hundreds of UK families face the heartbreaking reality of seeing their children reach crisis point before anyone recognises the condition."
"This World Diabetes Day (on November 14), we're urging everyone to learn the 4Ts and share the signs with others."
According to Beth, they have counted 23 people they have 'saved' by sharing the warning signs of type 1 diabetes. "I've got to cling on to 13 years and 27 days of memories of Peter. I talk to Peter's sister and brother about him all the time… and I tell them that if you've got a voice you've got to use it, because Peter can't speak for himself anymore. So I'm doing this for him," she said.
