Inspiring Stories

Hanging in there!

My daughter Brianna is 18, diagnosed 2 years ago. For years it was a strong thirst and going to the bathroom alot. I asked her Dr repeatedly to test her. He refused, said there was nothing wrong with her. Sadly, she did have it, type 1. She didnt take it very well. She was in the hospital for for 5 days. On her 5th day, we lost her dad to a heart attack. Everything just escalated from there. She was so distraught, her sugar was uncontrollable. She missed the majority of her junior year and saw a therapist. She was in so much pain, she wanted to end it all. She lost 35 pounds and you could see her bones. In a year, my child was unrecognizable. She is much better now and is in college. Sugar is still high, even with the pump. Its a struggle for her everyday, but she's tough. I am I much better mom for going through this. Wasnt sure for awhile we would make it. My daughter is an inspiration to me and I love her very much!

Sandy
Federalsburg, MD

Cammy Pooh

cameron was just like any typical five year old. Then over night everything had changed. He was so moody and always just wanted to sleep, he didnt even want to play with his brother. which was very unusual. I had thought maybe it was just a phase he was going through. He then became very sick and abusive. I had noticed he was losing weight and was sleeping all day. then we thought he had a uti and took him into the doctors. She was asking us very odd questions. she asked is he always thirsty and does it have to be a certain temperature, which it had to be ice cold water. she checked his urine for ketones and came back into the room with another doctor. Calmly she told me cameron has large ketones in his urine. i started bawling. she said she had already called the hospital and they were waiting on us. i tried my hardest to stay calm in front of cameron on the ride over. we got there and they immediatley took him to get an iv. it took me and six nurses and a blanket wrapped around him to get his iv in. the nurse looked at me and said hes in dka. my heart literally fell to the floor. the only time i had heard of dka is when someone had died from it. they gave him fluids and insulin and told me what cameron was going through. he is a juvenile diabetic and his blood glucose was above 800. i had to learn and teach everything about diabetes in two days. it was so hard for cameron, i had to explain to him that hed have it for the rest of his life and we both cried together. its been a year since hes been diagnosed. he is doing so great with it. he has the one touch ping insulin pump and lives life like theres nothing wrong with him. he explains to people what juvenile diabetes is and how he has to manage it. i am so proud of him!

kim
martins ferry, OH

my life with T1D

I was a sophmore at the University of South Carolina when my weight dropped from 175 to 122 over a 3 month period, i finally admitted something was wrong when i was so weak i could barely use stairs. My girlfirend took me to the hospital where i was diagnosed as a textbook case, there i stayed for the next two weeks. getting diabetes made my world stop, it changed my dreams and made me realize i was not invincible (many teens do feel they are invincible). I also realized that i would have to be a responsible person so i could afford to care for myself for the rest of my life. In the 33 years since that week, and the first time i heard a cure is 10 years away, the tools for managing my disease have improved dramatically. My life while not perfect works and i am still here 33 years later, Has this experience make me angry or bitter? No, it is what is is and i have tried to live with my disease and never let it rule my life. I still backpack, mountain climb, go out eat great food and manage my disease. I am diabetic and i can live with that.

Chris Hill
san jose, CA

Backstroke and Bloodtests

When I was 6 years old I watched the Sydney Olympics particularly the swimming *cough*Garry-Hall-Jr.*cough*, and I told my mom that when I grew up I wanted to win an Olympic medal like the people on the Telly.
Just over a year later I was diagnosed Type 1, at 7 years of age I didn't know what it was or how to deal with it. It was all a little confusing. But I dealt with it, my family and doctors helped, and it never stopped me from being a child. I had some ups and downs where I didn't want to deal with it but always came back in the end, those episodes usually lasted till I had cried myself out and went to check my sugars cause I was low.
When I was 12 and after doing swimming lessons for years I joined a swim club. 12 years old, 5years Type 1, and I was going to add a sport I started out on literally the lowest rung of the ladder. There were kids 4 years younger than me who were faster and better by far, but that never stopped me. I trained as hard as I could, and moved up the ranks through the club. I swam my first competition a weekend after being in hospital the previous week because I was so dehydrated and my sugars were really high it couldn't be dealt with at home. won a silver medal at what wa considered a big meet. That was my first taste and I've not stopped since. That was 5 years ago. I'm now top rranked in my club, the fastest swimmer in my events (although the boys aren't bad when they try) and I'm still trying to get faster, I want to try and do well at Irish National Championships this year. Diabetes doesn't stop me and that 6 year old girl is still inside telling me to go for gold. I'm 12 years diagnosed in 2013 and well I'm not stopping yet. No one should ever have to stop.

Ciara Duffy
Rochfortbridge, Ireland

Young and old troubles

It was just 3 days after Halloween and just 2 before my 9th birthday when my mom brought me to the doctor. I had all the commonly mentioned symptoms- drinking water like crazy, spending a lot of time either in the bathroom or in bed and moodiness. Though I don't remember everything that happened during the time I was in the hospital, I do remember my mom trying to help me accept that I, a child terrified of needles, would have to accept them 4 times a day to keep well. When I got home there were notes from my friends at school and all my Halloween candy was gone. I'm about to turn 27 and just realized how close it is to my diagnose date. Being t1d has made a big impact on my life- struggling to accept that I wouldn't be able to drink at 21 like I had seen my college friends experiment with and waking up in an ambulance after swim practice are only brief instances. But, here's what I really want to share- keep positive! Having my families support and keeping up with new technology has been so beneficial for me. It's not a death sentence- it's a way to help you appreciate what you can do. Best wishes to everyone!

Christine Hall
Itasca, IL

Thirteen Years and Counting

We had just moved from Pennsylvania to New Mexico right after my second daughter had turned five. It was June and it was a hot, dry, new environment. By July we noticed Katie was not quite acting her bouncy, flamboyant self, but kind of had written it off to the big 2000 mile move. By August she was getting downright cranky. I found a local doctor to start taking her to. He told us that the climate was new to her, she probably caught a bug, she was probably a little dehydrated etc. In the following months she was getting sicker and sicker. She was drinking water all the time and having accidents, which was not like her at all. We took her to four different doctors and not once did anyone check her blood sugar. And I knew nothing of diabetes back then. Finally on Thanksgiving Day (after five months of appointments!) Kate would not wake up. My exhusband packed her up in the mini van to take her to the ER while I packed up the car with our other three young children and left Thanksgiving dinner uncooked on the counter. Then at the hospital, where my unconscious baby girl was curled up on a bed with a blood sugar of over 1000!! , we learned she had Type 1 Diabetes. It felt like a nightmare. We spent seven days in that hospital room getting her well enough to go home and learning how to care for her. And while diabetes is not a death sentence, it changes the rules of life's game with no warning and you just want to shout "unfair". Now, 13 years later, it's been a long, twisting road. The teenage years were hell for us. But as an adult, off at college, Katie is finally coming in to her own and realizing that her diabetes does not define who she is. My baby girl is my hero for all she has faced and overcome. Some day, I hope to be able to change the title of this from "and Counting" to "and Cured".

Victoria Nagle
Lilly, OR

My story

My name is Jasmine Richmond, I have had Type 2 diabetes for about 11 years. When I first found out I had diabetes I thought my life was over no more candy or sweets.It can be hard to deal with but thanks to my family and friends for giving me so much support I have learned to live a better life. Due to me wanting to be like the other people caused me to temporarily loose my vision which ,I still struggle with today .It is very important to take care of your health ,I learned this lesson the hard way. I'm 21 years old and I am proud to say thanks to my diabetes I appreciate life so much more.

Jasmine Richmond
Chicago, IL

My diabetes awareness ribbon

I got this tattoo for my daughter Madisen Taylor of Clovis, CA. She was diagnosed on Oct. 10th 2007 with type 1. I'm her dad & I put this on my left shoulder for everyone to see so they might ask me about it & then I get to educate them about diabetes. Maddy is now 12 & she's on the pump & plays softball, basketball, track & cross country. She's very out going & won't let diabetes slow her down.

David Taylor
Clovis, CA

Army Wives and a misdiagnosis

In the beginning of February, just after having had laryngitis, I still did not feel very well. I drank a lot of water, had to pee a lot and my vision was really bad. I remembered then that in a certain part of the TV-series Army Wives, I had seen the same symptoms on a woman who turned out to be a Type 2 Diabetic. I started looking up my symptoms and decided that I wanted to get checked out. The same day I was in the ER with an incredibly high blood sugar: I should have been in a coma. The diagnosis was made fairly quickly: type 2 diabetes, because I was very overweight. They told me there was a slim possibility that it was a type 1, but that they would test it anyway and I would get the results within 6 weeks. The good news: I could get rid of the diabetes if I'd lose enough weight. About 4 weeks later I should have been transferred to my own general practitioner for regular checkups but because of a misscommunication, he never got that information. About 5 weeks ago I went to see him and asked what was going on. He then scheduled an immediate appointment and requested all the information from the hospital. At the appointment, they told me I was in the wrong place: type 1 diabetics should be under the care of a diabetes nurse at a hospital. That's when it became clear that the blood results I never got, showed that I was a type 1 diabetic. I was very angry, because this meant I had a chronic illness and was never gonna get rid of this stupid disease. I had, and sometimes still have, a hard time accepting that I'm chronically ill and that I should take a step back occassionally. It's hard getting used to, but I'm determined to get through this, stay strong and live a long, happy and healthy life.

Veerle
Tilburg, Netherlands

18 and a new Diabetic

I got diagnosed with diabetes when I was eighteen a month before I went to college. It was a big hit because nobody in my family at the present time had diabetes and I really knew nothing about it. I went off to college just a few short months later and it sucked because I felt like I couldn't do anything because I was diabetic like it was holding me back. When I started my sophomore year in college I was so angry at everything and everybody that I decided I was going to do whatever I wanted and it didn't matter what anyone else thought. That was a mistake. I became really sick and had to take a semester off and that is when I finally realized that I really needed to take care of myself. I also decided that this illness, this stupid disease was not going to define me. I am six feet tall and at that time I only weighed about 130 pounds which isn't good at all. I finally took control over my illness and it was tough and I was mad. Most people don't understand the anger that comes with having a chronic illness. I am not an angry person but it made me so upset when I couldn't talk to anybody about it because nobody understood what I was going through. I finally made the choice to get better and I am so much healthier today and I can still eat sweets and do what I want as long as I watch my blood sugar. I am a different person because of this disease and for me I became a better person. It still sucks because I am only 24 and have this stupid disease but at least I'm living my life and not letting diabetes hold me back. My pancreas may be lazy but I am no longer complacent.

Ann Marie
Watseka, IL