It’s not easy for a celebrity mother who has been part of the showbiz industry to accept her daughter’s shocking diagnosis, but Brooke Shields accepted her eldest daughter Rowan Henchy’s diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes with strength and grace.
According to PEOPLE, when Brooke’s daughter Henchy was a freshman at high school, she began experiencing some serious health issues. Henchy explained the symptoms of the condition, which may seem normal, but can be life-threatening if left undiagnosed.
Rowan further explained that managing diabetes was her 24/7 job and she was never off duty. This meant she also had to take care of her pump and the Dexcom patch on her stomach, which were part of a continuous glucose monitor system that sent readings to a smartphone app.
Rowan Henchy talked about her diabetes symptoms and said that the very first sign was that even though she ate two full meals a day, she was losing a lot of weight, followed by the constant urge to urinate. She then said that the third sign was that her vision started to deteriorate. Finally, she also suffered from a terrible toe infection. (Wounds heal slowly in diabetics).
“So these are clear, red flags for undiagnosed type 1 diabetes,” she said. Thankfully, it was finally diagnosed later that year, and Rowan has been managing the condition ever since. Now a college senior at Wake Forest University, where her younger sister Grier also started college, she’s happy and living her life (thanks to social media).
According to Shields, as a mother, it took her some time to accept the fact that her daughter had the disease, but knowing about the disease and having the tools to manage it made a huge difference.
She also added that Rowan has matured since the diagnosis and now knows how to handle it. The actress added, “She’s become very capable. She’s had to grow up quickly.”
Meanwhile, Shields shares Rowan with Brook’s second husband, comedy writer and director Chris Henchy. Additionally, Shields mentioned that the diagnosis was one of the reasons Rowan changed schools and moved to an all-girls school. Brooks described the whole change as an “adjustment” for her young daughter.
On the work front, Brooke has also played her part in raising awareness. She recently completed a film called Quarters, a comedy about a young woman with type 1 diabetes, written and starring Kelly Bascom, based on her understanding of living with the disease.
Also read: Brooke Shields’ daughter Rowan recalls her mother’s difficult IVF experience; says ‘without it she wouldn’t be here’
