Nineteen years ago today, I was diagnosed with diabetes.
Today, I feel very diabetic. That might sound strange to some. There are some days when diabetes sinks into the background and routines take over. Today though it is on the forefront of my mind. On my left side, I wear my Cozmo and Quick-set, almost silently delivering insulin. On the right, the Guardian RT and mini-link transmitter, attempting to tell me if the pump is giving me the right amount if insulin. These are part of my life now and they are reminders of what I need to do to survive and thrive.
I’ve thought a lot lately how diabetes has altered my life, and it is something that I can not honestly answer. It is such a part of me, that I cannot image what life would be like if I had never gotten this disease. Has it made me more sympathetic? Maybe. More cautious? Perhaps. Less spontaneous? Probably. But this is who I am now. I am a college student. I am a Christian. I am a daughter and an aunt. I am also a diabetic. That’s just the way it is.
I am not celebrating today, and I’m not mourning it either. It’s just another day in my life. A day like the past 6,935 that happens to include insulin, blood sugar checks and carbohydrate counting.
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The rantings of a type one college student.
5 comments:
Hi Jen. I was just working on my Faces of Hope presentation and realized that today is your anniversary.
I hope you had a great day!
Congrats on a long stinking time with this disease.
Hi, Jen. 19 years--that is a long time to have this disease alongside with you. I'll be "19" in diabetes years soon, too. In dog years, that's like...really old!
I'm proud of you for writing honestly and openly and living your life well. I, too, can't imagine what life would be like without diabetes.
Congrats -- not on 19 years, but on accepting what we cannot ignore.
Cheers,
Felix.
Very well put! I feel the same way - I am a daughter, a mother, a wife, an avid book-reader, a dog lover, a diabetic and other things too! Diabetes is only one thing that determines who I am, but there is no denying that it definitely has shaped who I am. I don't mind at all saying that I am a diabetic, it is just one os several aspects of me. GOOD LUCK FOR THE MANY YEARS AHEAD!
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