Samantha spent her first birthday in the hospital, after being diagnosed at 11 months old. Still, says her mother, Samantha is "very good natured and loves to giggle and is lighthearted, even though we always seem to be approaching her with a needle!"

Samantha spent her first birthday in the hospital, after being diagnosed at 11 months old. Still, says her mother, Samantha is "very good natured and loves to giggle and is lighthearted, even though we always seem to be approaching her with a needle!" Samantha now wears a pump, but her diabetes management can be tricky due to her young age: She can't always communicate when her blood sugars are low, and like other four-year-olds, she doesn't always finish her food. Samantha's older sister, Ashley, was also diagnosed, about a year after Samantha. Now in preschool, Samantha loves to play with Ashley and her older brother, and participates in kindermusik and gymnastics. She wants to be a gymnast when she grows up.