A mom who suspected something was wrong after she noticed an unexplained bruise on her baby’s toe has revealed how doctors brushed her off… only for her to later learn he was suffering from a rare condition.
Ceeariah Madden, 31, from Poinciana, Florida, was getting her one-year-old son, Delswan Madden III, dressed for daycare one morning in September 2024, when she saw that one of his toes had become black and blue.
At first, she didn’t think much about it since ‘kids get unexplained marks all the time.’
‘He was acting completely normal, not in pain. Kids are active, they bump into things,’ she explained during an exclusive chat with the Daily Mail.
But as the day went on, she couldn’t get it off her mind and she had a nagging feeling that something was wrong.
‘Something didn’t sit right with me.
‘I went back and forth in my head all day asking myself if I should take him [to the hospital] or not,’ she recalled.
‘After hours of debating, I decided to trust my gut and bring him to the hospital.’
Ceeariah Madden, 31, from Florida, was getting her one-year-old son, Delswan Madden III, dressed one morning in September 2024, when she noticed a bruise on his foot
As the day went on, she couldn’t get it off her mind and she had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, so she took him to the ER
Madden admitted that she felt ’embarrassed’ walking into the ER for something that ‘seemed so small.’
Doctors looked the youngster over, saw that the bruise ‘didn’t appear to bother him’ much and told her they were good to go. But again, something told Madden to push them to run some tests.
‘They told me he was fine and started preparing to discharge us. It felt like they were brushing it off,’ she said.
‘As they were getting ready to send us home, I begged the doctor to please just run blood work just to be sure nothing serious was going on internally.
‘They really didn’t want to do it. The doctor reluctantly agreed only after I pleaded.’
Madden’s mom senses were right and Delswan’s tests showed that his blood sugar was ‘dangerously low.’
‘They had me try feeding him to see if it would bring his levels up. When they rechecked, his blood sugar dropped even further to 27. That’s when they realized this was something serious,’ she shared.
Despite doctors originally dismissing her, Delswan was eventually diagnosed with Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI), a genetic condition causing the pancreas to secrete too much insulin
Now, Madden explained that her son, two, requires ‘continuous 24/7 feeding through a feeding tube to keep his blood sugar stable’
Delswan was immediately transferred to a bigger hospital in Orlando, where he stayed for eight weeks while doctors worked to figure out what was wrong.
They ran ‘countless tests’ and ‘consulted with multiple specialists,’ with no answers.
But after two grueling months, he was finally diagnosed with Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI), a serious genetic condition causing the pancreas to secrete too much insulin.
‘Hearing that diagnosis was shocking. I was in complete disbelief and overwhelmed with fear about what his future might look like,’ Madden recalled.
Now, Madden explained that her son, two, requires ‘continuous 24/7 feeding through a feeding tube to keep his blood sugar stable.’
‘Being connected to a feeding pump 24/7 is extremely challenging especially for a toddler who just wants to explore everything,’ she shared.
‘We carry his pump in a backpack everywhere we go, and normal toddler activities take extra planning and caution.
‘Life looks very different now, but we’re taking it one day at a time. This is our new normal. It’s never dull, that’s for sure.’
She has been extremely open and honest on her TikTok page about her son’s health journey, where some of her videos have gained immense attention.
She told the Daily Mail that she hopes by speaking out about it she will teach other moms to listen to their gut.
‘My message to other parents is simple but important: do not let doctors dismiss you or make you feel crazy,’ she stressed.
‘Do not be afraid to ask questions, request tests, or demand answers. We know our children. We know our bodies.
‘When something feels wrong, we have the right to push for answers. Trust your instincts because doing so may just save a life.’
