My name is Joe Smeader. I am 22 years old and live in Ankeny, IA. My journey began at a young age and at a place where bad things should never happen; Disney World. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes AT Disney World on January 4, 1994 at the age of two. The last thing I remember hearing is the song to 'It's A Small World After All' before waking up in a hospital and learning that I needed to take 5 shots everyday for the rest of my life. I remember promising to eat my vegetables, clean my room, work hard, anything to avoid getting those shots and then having them hold me down while they injected me. I know they didn't want to do it, but they had to. kindergarten was the first time where I was labeled. My teacher told the other kids to leave me alone because I was "different". That would start a label that followed me through my entire school life. Although, as the years went by, the labeling wasn't as bad, but most people still treated me like an outcast.
After high school, I attended a conference in Berkley, CA called 'DTreat'. An organization that puts type 1 diabetics in touch with other diabetics and teaches people how to handle themselves at college, help pay for supplies, etc. This was the first time I didn't feel alone. I was always known as 'the kid with diabetes' but here, I was Joe. I may have gotten a late start, but I since that point, I am not too worried about what other people think of me. I have a YouTube channel (It's not very good, but I have one), I am in college, and 'm an actor. I feel like for the first time, I am not alone. I may have diabetes, but diabetes does not have me. I now have a group of friends we call ourselves 'Diabesties' and I've attended a few more DTreats and now realize that we're all in this together and we'll find a cure.
Ankeny, IA
