Inspiring Stories

Share your experiences, hopes, and dreams for the future.

A spoon full of insulin helps the sugar go down.

A spoon full of insulin helps the sugar go down.

I had been feeling sick, thirsty, and very tired. My mom took me to the doctor on a Thursday and I was checked for everything from the flu, to strep throat, to mono. They told me that I didn't have any of those things and other than having Thrush, they didn't know what was wrong. I had also lost nearly 40lbs in a matter of weeks.

I don't remember much about the following Monday when I was taken to the hospital. I remember my step dad carrying me to the car, and pieces of my mom driving me to a local hospital where my grandma worked. Once we were there, the triage nurse asked my mom how long I had been diabetic. Diabetic? Wait, what? Now, I remember my mom asking me if I thought I was diabetic weeks prior, but how was I supposed to know? They checked my blood sugar and it was 1009. They air lifted me to Tampa. I spent 4 days in ICU.

I'm now 25 years old.. It's been a ROUGH road of denial, MANY hospital visits, and stress, not only for myself, but also for those who love me the most. I don't remember what life was like before insulin injections and endo appointments.. I do know that those things are forever a part of life: and this life has been a crazy one, but I'm so proud of how far I have come. Even though the stress will remain, the denial is gone, and the hospital visits are no more. Life is tough, but so am I.

I don't know where I would be without the unconditional love and support of my WONDERFUL family, friends, and boyfriend.

Regan
Surfside Beach, SC
My Story

My Story

I was 9. I remember being incredibly thirsty all the time. I would melt ice cubes down to fit in my mouth. I was also going to the bathroom a lot and having accidents at night. I had also lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks. My mom took me to the doctor thinking that I had a kidney infection or something. They took my blood, this was before glucose machines :) My sugar was 898. They told my mom to take me to the hospital. We went home to get some things and to tell my dad. On the way home my mom was crying, I didn't understand what was going on. She told me I had to go to the hospital. I was stoked! At the hospital, I was so dehydrated that it took them 13 times poking me to finally get blood. I think I was there for 2 weeks. They taught me how to give myself shots, by practicing on an orange and eventually allowing me to do it myself.
Things were going well until I was 14. I guess hormones and things got out of whack, because in April, I went into a Diabetic Coma from low blood sugar. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom. My dad was in the living room watching TV. When I came back through I told my dad good night and I love you. I felt weird, not like low, but like something was not right. The last thing I remember was closing my door. Apparently I had called out to my dad and then passed out. They checked my sugar. It registered as LO on the machine. They called the ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, my sugar was 15. Then, in November, I went into DKA and spent some more time in the hospital.
Fortunately, I have not had any more major issues. I have been a diabetic for almost 32 years. I do wish I would have taken better care of myself, and consider myself lucky to still have my eyesight and all my appendages.

Anonymous
Jackson, MS
Diagnosed at 15 years old

Diagnosed at 15 years old

In late 2010,My 15 year old Daughter called me at work one day saying she did not feel well at all. Being the Mother of a teenage girl, I figured she was just tired from school and homework and brushed it off. Later that week, she calls me again, complaining that she really does not feel well. This time, I could hear it in her voice that something really was wrong.

I rushed home from work to find her in an almost unconscious state. We rush to the Hospital. A few minutes after they draw blood, the Doctor comes in the room and asks " Does Diabetes run in your Family?" My heart sank into my stomach. My Daughter and I immediately looked at each other and started bawling. Her blood sugar was almost 600! When we first learned she had Type 1 diabetes, we were both scared and confused. After several days in the Hospital, and several hours of education, she was finally ready to go home.

It is now almost 5 years later and my Daughter just graduated High School and moved out with her Girlfriend. I am so proud that she did not let Diabetes hold her back from anything she wanted to do. Diabetes is not a death sentence and you can live a full life with it. My Daughter is a beautiful, healthy, functioning 19 year old women now. Sure, it can be very scary at times... Trust me, to this day, I still sneak a peak at her meter anytime I go to her house and she catches me every time.

I do not think we could have made it through the first two years without the support we got from her Doctor. They are there anytime you need them, even in the middle of the night when you call with many questions.

JAMIE
RENO, NV
The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

My story starts as a young child. I was adopted as a newborn into the most loving family anyone could ever ask for. As a young child I watched my father battle his diabetes almost daily. I learned a great deal from my father! Sadly, due to a weak heart from his lifelong battle with diabetes, we lost him at the age of 56 in the summer of 2004 to a massive heart attack. Now skip ahead 6 years. I'm 32, overweight, and unhealthy at 5'6" and 250 pounds and as far as I know, no history of diabetes in my biological genes. On my 32nd birthday, I'm having issues with my eyes, everything is blurry, so I go get my eyes checked at a mall eye clinic. They just give me glasses and send me home. Throughout the course of the next six months, I'm constantly thirsty, urinating ALL the time, and I've lost 50 pounds. My wife (then my girlfriend) begs me to get checked out, however, I'm really enjoying the weight loss. I tell her nothing is wrong, but if I get below 160 pounds (thinking no way is that gonna happen) I'll go get checked out. Well, needless to say, 6 months later, I was at 155 pounds and in my doctors office with an A1C of over 11 and blood sugars over 560. Initially diagnosed as T2. On oral meds for 6 months and not really working. After changing docs and adding a diabetes specialist we found that I had latent onset adult diabetes or type 1.5 if you will. After making the switch to insulin things got a lot better. It's still an everyday battle to maintain healthy blood sugars but it's not a fight I'm gonna lose!! I really wish I had dad to help coach me along, but watching and living with him taught me so much. My friends and family have been super supportive. Thankfully The Lord blessed me through my father and familiarized myself with this disease. Without him, I would surely be lost. Adapt and overcome I always say

Tim Nickerson
Kearney, NE
It All Started At Disney Land..

It All Started At Disney Land..

When I was in 3rd grade, I had bronchitis for the first time. Shortly after my bronchitis had run its course I was losing weight, eating way too much for a 9 year old and drinking what seemed like gallons of water, (and, of course peeing all the time).

I ended up going to Disney Land with my dad and his wife for vacation, that's when my dad started to notice the amount of weight I've lost and how I couldn't seem to get enough water. When we got to my mom's house after our vacation he kinda mentioned my behavior. (He was a little familiar with the symptoms because his dad was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes not too long before all of this happened). My parents seemed concerned, but I was 9, and I wasn't. I didn't know what it was, or what it meant.
That weekend I went to my mom's dad's house and I guess she must have said something to him because he kept trying to get me to check my sugar. Uh, no thanks. Anyway, it didn't happen that night. So, in the morning, while I was still sleeping, he checked my blood sugar and I was over 300! After that, I was taken to the ER and when my mom told them why we were there, the nurses looked at us like we had 8 heads, and kinda took their time...then they checked my sugar, 489! They kinda picked up the pace after that.
It took 9 people to hold down a little girl just to put an IV in...9 people. I spent over 2 weeks in the hospital, I WAS SO BORED!
The bronchitis ended up being the culprit. Apparently it left behind a virus that attacked my pancreas and voila, Juvenile Diabetic. I'm now 22 years old and it's been tough, but there's no way I'm letting something like diabetes keep me from living my life to the fullest.

To all of you, stay strong!

-Katelyn-

Katelyn Rose GranilloNewton
MESA, AZ
My New Life

My New Life

I was diagnosed with type one diabetes when I was 23, now I’m 27 years old. I started loosing a lot of weight, I was thirsty all the time and I was going to the bathroom a lot. I was eating like crazy and I just looked ill, my face was very pale and I looked very tired.
One night, I felt so terrible. I was vomiting so my mom and boyfriend took me to the hospital. They said it was just a flu and they send back home. But the days were passing by and I continued really sick. Three days later, I was taken back to the hospital because I wasn’t getting any better. I got my blood sugar checked. It was 418 and the doctor said I could go into a coma at any time, I was in ICU for a week, I was in DKA and my potassium level was really low.
I was off work for 4 weeks after being released from the hospital, and I found out that I couldn’t see clearly because the high sugar levels had affected my vision.
It has been hard trying to change my eating habits and maintaining my sugar levels. It can be very stressful, and I was depressed and in denial but I know I am very lucky to be here and have no permanent damage. Now, I have an amazing 2 years old boy who makes my life completely happy, he gives me strength everyday to continue with my new life. My husband and my family are also my support through this process.
My dream? My dream is that one day I could say “I USED to have Diabetes”

Zoraima Garcia
Monteria - Colombia

Zoraima Garcia
Monteria, Colombia
My Story

My Story

Hello my name is Meghan and back in October of 2009 (I think that's the right year) I was told that I have type 2 diabetes. I had just moved in with my boyfriend at the time (now husband) in 2008 and I went to the doctors because I hadn't had my period in 7 months and I thought I was pg but all the test I had took told me that I was not. So, at the doctors she took a lot of test and sent me home and told me she would call me to let me know what my test said that was the longest few days of may life when my cell phone finally rung I picked it up and it was my doctor. She told me that she wanted me to come in so she could talk to me I was so scared that something was really wrong with me but I never in a million years thought it would be diabetes. When the doctor first told me that I didn't know what to say I set there holding my boyfriends hand (again now husband) trying not to cry there was a lot of things running though my head I couldn't wrap my head around it. She was so nice she explained it all to me in a way I understood then put me on pills and sent me on my way. I still have trouble dealing with it I've given up a lot because of it. Then just a few years ago my husband was told he also had diabetes. Its nice that he also has it because he helps me deal with it. Every day is a struggle but I'm working on it. I'm also trying to lose some pounds but with having diabetes it hasn't been easy.

Meghan
Brookfield, MO
"A little bit longer and I'll be fine."

"A little bit longer and I'll be fine."

I was in 6th grade, only 12 years old. What is a 6th grader supposed to know about T1D? As weeks by went by, I was filling up my water bottle 4-5 times a day, constantly going to the bathroom, and having to squint my eyes to see the board in class. I was completely unaware of the symptoms because my little self didn't believe I was ever going to get a disease. My parents just thought it was the flu, because I was nauseous all the time. Then, it all hit me. Saturday June 12th, 2008, is when I was rushed to the hospital. It turned out that I was in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Basically, a diabetic coma. I don't remember anything after being wheeled into the hospital; it was all a blur. I lost about 30 lbs over those past weeks, and my blood sugar was over 700. The doctor said that if we were to have waited one more day to bring me in to the hospital, that he wasn't sure if I would've made it. Scariest thing ever for my parents.
I was in the hospital for about a week, learning how to test my BS, give insulin shots, count carbs, etc. It was a long process, but I eventually got the hang of it.
Now, I'm 18 years old. Just graduated high school. Insulin pump user for 4 years. And looking back on it, I'm blessed that God gave me this battle for me to fight. I've become much more responsible and have managed to control my diabetes very well. I'm inspired to become a Certified Diabetes Educator, working in hospitals with newly diagnosed diabetics. Although us diabetics all have our ups and downs with this disease, it's part of what made me who I am today. As they say, you don't know strong you are until being strong is the only option you have.

But day by day, we are getting one step closer to the cure. I can't wait for the day when I can say "I used to have diabetes."

Natalie Bartos
Batavia, IL
My Diabetic Story

My Diabetic Story

The story starts in 2003.
When you're five years old, Disney world seems amazing. But on the third or fourth day of vacation, my parents noticed that something not-amazing was going on. I would drinking huge bottles of water in minutes and then having to go to the bathroom a couple of minutes later. That process would repeat. My dad knew that was a sign for diabetes, but my mom thought I had a bladder infection or something. Either way, I needed to get it checked out. My mom rented a van and took me to a hospital. A few blood checks and urine samples later, the doctor confirmed my dad's theory. I was a type one diabetic.
Since then, I've been hospitalized only once because of my diabetes. It was when I was 8 because I had the flu, I kept throwing up, and my blood sugar kept going down. Other than that, No diabetes hospitalizations.
Fast forward a year- I was nine. My parents sent me to my first diabetic camp. I ended up LOVING it. I met my best friend through camp and I loved being normal- at least for a week. I ended up going until I had to stop going as a camper. I plan to be a counselor in training and then a counselor.
I switched from shots to a MiniMed pump at 14, which I love. I'm seventeen now with a A1C of 7.7. I play softball, sing in choir, go to youth group, the beach, the movies- pretty much anywhere a normal teen can go. I encourage others with type 1 diabetes to not let it control you. You control it, remember? Just keep your sugars in check, bolus for what you eat, and keep the A1C down. As long as you got it controlled, there isn't anything you can't do :D

Paige
New Buffalo, MI
hoping to get off insulin

hoping to get off insulin

my name is bob and i am about to turn 63.At 42yo i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.until feb this year,my weight has between 148kgs and 134kgs for the past 10 years.for my diabetes i was taking one tablet and two types of insulin.in february this year i decided that i needed to do something if i wanted to continue enjoying my grandchildren.i started walking every day and started eating properly.In 5 mths i have lost 25kgs without any hunger pains or pain in general.i now have stopped one type of insulin and reduced my dosage of the other by 60%.long term sugar has dropped from 9.6 to 7.2.and my blood pressure is now excellent.i still need to loose another 20kgs and hopefuly i can stop taking insulin altogether.

bob edwards
goolwa, Australia