Having three girls between the ages of four and 10 can make mornings hectic enough for a family.

For one Kitchener family, though, things are even busier – because two of their daughters have Type 1 diabetes.

Ron and Melanie Friesen could be forgiven if they and their daughters played the victims after daughter Sierra was diagnosed with diabetes five years ago, and daughter Sienna more recently.

But that’s not their style. Instead, the Friesens have developed a strong sense of family and managed to overcome the disease as a team.

“I have my sisters to help when I’m scared,” says Sienna.

Even middle child Savannah pitches in.

“If my older sister or little sister is low, I ask them if they’re OK and if they’ve had some sugar,” she says.

Each morning before heading out to school, when other kids might be eating sugary cereals or getting a few extra minutes of sleep, Sierra and Sienna closely monitor their blood-sugar levels.

“My life is really hard. It’s not really that normal,” says Sierra.

That abnormal life comes with a silver lining. When Sienna was diagnosed with diabetes, having a sister going through the same thing made it a little bit easier.

“I think the transition was easier, but just as heartbreaking,” says Melanie.

While many assume the Friesens brought the disease on themselves through poor diet, Type 1 diabetes is actually a genetic disorder.

Sierra, as the older child who has been diabetic for longer, is more independent than her younger, recently diagnosed sister.

But with each of them needing blood tests every two hours, everybody still does what they can to pitch in.

At school, Melanie – who works just around the corner – and Savannah make sure Sierra and Sienna are doing what they need to do in order to manage their disease.

Even overnight, the girls’ blood-sugar levels are monitored and recorded.

“Her pump goes off, and I go awake, and she just sleeps through it,” says Savannah.

It’s a daily process the Friesens call “overwhelming,” but also one that’s brought them closer together.