It's almost 2015 and my twenty fourth birthday falls on the second Wednesday of May. It is an undeniable truth that I have been born but it was not until June 29, 2006 when my life truly began. I was 15 and diagnosed with Type One Diabetes.
When I first opened my eyes that morning, I knew I was going to the hospital but for a different reason. I was scheduled for a long awaited deformation reconstructive surgery that was to change my life for the better and make life a little easier. Once in the pre-op room, a little easier became a diagnosis of a little harder. I had just completed the eighth grade and out of no where was being told that I have a major condition - a chronic illness I had been walking around with for more than seven months not knowing. Blood sugars spiking to 400 and higher, nurses and doctors were puzzled as to how I was even standing and breathing amongst them.
I didn't have my surgery that day. Instead I was wheeled into an ambulance and rushed to a pediatric hospital in Hollywood, Florida. A reality check at fifteen, I learned how to manually do a job of my body in a week. A 24 hour job that most definitely has its inescapable good and bad days - mostly good though (; My A1C is currently 6.4 :)
With my new found responsibilities, knowledge and control, I was able to have my life changing surgery some months after my diagnosis. Two life changing experiences later, I could not be more pleased with life and proud of the person my Type One Diabetes has helped me be. Even with it being an everyday battle, I am happy and blessed to keep on keeping on. I'll always say that every card I have been dealt is an individually strong contribution to one hell of a deck that will not let even the craziest of shuffles shake her. With all the love I have in my life, I could not ask for a better cure.
West Palm Beach, FL
