In 1993 at the Age of 4 was where my journey of diabetes began. Arguably there were several things in the build up to that diagnosis but for the sake of this writing let’s just start it from its official beginning. Admittedly, I don’t remember too much of this time period. I remember one minute playing and the next minute being in hospital. I remember being super ill. I remember the concern filled the room with my loving caring parents and extended family. I remember being reassured and confused and not really understanding what was going on. To be fair, I think that spoke true for everyone over this period. And that was pretty much the extent of it. But I remember coming home and all of a sudden everything had changed. I was no longer your ordinary kid (arguably never was anyway), but I was different. I remember hating three main things about this time period. I HATED injections. I HATED that I was the only one. But most of all the worst thing I remember about it all was being told I was no longer allowed honey. And that was it. Life was no longer fair. As you can imagine my little 4-year-old sensitive soul trying to figure all this out and meanwhile what about the support team around me. WOW. Only now can I possibly appreciate the extent of what they had to go through. One minute sitting at my side day in and day out for the 10 days I was in hospital. Listening to all the doctors and their confusion over whether it was just a virus or actually diabetes. And then here you go, here is your goodie bag filled with needles and insulin, coupled with a how to kit and some fast-track learning sessions for the whole fam and off they went.
Fortunately, I have the best family ever and just like everything in their life, they took it in there stride. They figured it out. They supported me through all the ups and downs and highs and lows (quite literally) and day by day they created plans and support systems to ensure it wouldn’t stop me doing anything I wanted in life. And so I did. It was still hard. It was hard being the one that everyone paid closer attention too, it was hard having to excuse myself to go off to the sickbay because only the nurses could inject me, it was hard missing out on things when I had a diabetic low and it was just as hard watching all my friends eat anything they wanted meanwhile the list of things I wasn’t allowed was significant. Don’t even get me started on birthday parties with the table of goodies just screaming out at you to be had. It was for sure hard. But that wasn’t what i remembered about my childhood. I remembered playing until the lights came on, I remember all the fun times with my friends and all the adventures and sports that I got to do. I remember feeling like the anything was possible. And that was exactly what my family created for me. They were beside me at every game, they had people who knew how to deal with the hypos at every turn and they had all my friends wised up on how to check my readings and see if I was doing okay. They created a world that just allowed me to be as free as I possibly could be.
Being a diabetic at that time was VERY different. It was no way near as common as it is today. I think the statistic was 1 diagnosis a week in the whole country at that time. It was the time before all these new technologies. The time of peeing on sticks and the old school blood sugar meters (new at the time) that took like a minute to figure it out. Yes it was only 33 years ago but it was WAY different than. The information was scarce. The doctors a bit more old school and well your search engines were not that informative (if you had a PC). The world of diabetes has increased significantly over the years. Not only in population (no a good thing) but also in technologies. It is incredible how far it has come. YET, it is still arguably one of the most misunderstood illness in existence. I find that remarkable. And wow was that hard growing up. Most teachings around diabetes is directly linked to food and insulin but it just isn’t that simple.
Over the years my family took a particular interest in some of the alternatives and basically anything and everything that might further support me. I would say I have tried significantly more than most on any particular remedy potential. It was only later in life that I truly appreciated the significant extent to which my parents and family went to support me along this unfolding journey. There are many things I look forward to sharing here in the hopes to inspire others. There is so much to learn from initial diagnosis, to coping mechanisms, the mental and emotional toll on both the person and their families, the ripple effect of being a child where everything changes and let’s not even get started on transitioning through the teens, the hormones and that period where you just can’t be effed with it anymore. There are so many layers and it is quite the journey of the diabetic which I look forward to sharing more with you all in time.
For now, I will say, there is hope. There is purpose and at some point I hope you can find the inspiration beyond the journey of hardship as I have. Diabetes is one of the most calculated lifestyles anyone can endure, the controls are constant, but at some point, we can switch from allowing it to control us and live in a way that feels more aligned with who you are regardless of being a diabetic. Well that’s where I am going, and I look forward to sharing my healing journey with you all.
