Sometimes, it helps to talk to people who are dealing with the same things you've been going through.

People with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers will gather today in Omaha to find out how others are handling the disease, hear updates on research, get questions answered and hear an inspirational message from a Sea World trainer who has type 1 diabetes.

The featured speaker is Maureen McGargill, who has a doctorate in immunology. She is looking for a cure for type 1 diabetes at her lab at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

McGargill's niece, 8-year-old Madeline Mullen of Omaha, deals with the disease every day.

Not long after her fifth birthday, Madeline's mom, Meghan Mullen, noticed that Madeline was extremely thirsty all of the time. The girl would drink a couple of jugs of water, two juice boxes and a can of pop between breakfast and lunch. "Even when I was telling her she needed to stop drinking, she'd go upstairs to the bathroom and sneak water," Meghan said.

Madeline also was losing weight, even though she was eating a lot, her mom said.

Meghan took her daughter to the pediatrician, who ran some tests and told the family to go straight to the hospital.

Madeline was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The Mullens had to learn how to count carbohydrates and determine how much insulin Madeline needed.

Today, Madeline uses an insulin pump that sits in a fanny pack around her waist. A tube carries the insulin from the pump to a site in her abdomen or buttocks. Her fingertips are calloused from all the needle pricks for the blood-sugar checks. If she has high blood sugar, she can't eat the snacks her classmates get at school. If her blood sugar is low, she needs not only one snack, but two.

"It's kind of torture for a little kid, really," Meghan said.

Madeline handles it well, though, Meghan said, and the staff at her school, St. Patrick in the Elkhorn area, "are just wonderful" in helping her deal with the disease.

Today's event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Thompson Center, 6705 Dodge St., on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. People can register at the door.

Contact the writer:

402-444-1109, bob.glissmann@owh.com

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