T1D Lifestyle

Thanks for joining me, here is my story:

At the age of nine years old, I never knew my life would be changed forever…

I was walking home from school. It was a hot afternoon, and my feet dragged across the cement of the sidewalk. I felt dizzy, and everything around me was spinning. It felt as if the world around me froze, and I soon began to feel dazed and confused. I collapsed under a tree and started to sob. I don’t know why this feeling kept taking over. “What is wrong me?” A continued thought that had been going through my head the past couple of weeks. These symptoms continued to claw at me every chance they got. Sitting underneath the tree; tears in my eyes. I saw a family friend who was driving by and luckily saw me. Struggling to get up, she got out of the car and helped me to my feet. She noticed how distraught I was, and could tell something was really wrong. She told me she would give me a ride to my house because she knew I wouldn’t be able to walk anymore. When I got into the car, I felt the cold air from the dash blow into my sweaty forehead. I immediately started to feel a bit better, but something still wasn’t right. I still felt short of breath, my heart was racing, and the cold sweats continued. Figuring it would help me to hydrate in any way possible she let me take some sips of her ice tea. I took enormous gulps trying to refresh myself. I was so dehydrated, my mouth parched and sweet, and the amount of thirst I felt was unquenchable. 

As soon as I got to my house, my parents thought it would be a good idea to take me to the hospital. I felt the fear shutter through my body. I had never been to the hospital before, and I was pretending confidently that nothing was wrong with me. Even though in the back of my head I knew that I had these recurring symptoms daily. I had felt fatigued even after a good sleep, was peeing way more than I should’ve been, was thirsty all the time, and looked like I had kept losing weight. My parents took me to ER, and I was quickly put into a room where I was hooked up to IVs and many wires. The doctors were continuously walking in and out as they checked my vitals, and made sure I was okay. Finally, they tested my blood sugar and it was extremely high; it was 568. My parents were overcome with shock and nervousness, and from their reactions I was taken with fear as well. I of course didn’t understand what they were saying though, because at the time I was only nine. 

They soon transferred me to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. From my room the smell of hospital food was pungent, as I laid there waiting for answers. When the doctor walked in… he looked at my parents, and me, and said that he had some unfortunate news. News that would change the rest of life. He had told my family and I that I am a Type One Diabetic. He explained to us that my pancreas had stopped producing insulin, and that it would never produce it again. This condition is chronic and lifelong, different from type two diabetes. They are not quite sure why it happens, and it can happen to anyone, at any age. They have an idea that it comes from a serious sickness or any traumatic event. And my immediate thought was ‘why me?’ 

Every day in the hospital my nurse would come in and check my blood sugar, get me food, and give me an injection of insulin. I was there for a week, learning what to do and how to take care of myself for the foreseeable future. Because if I didn’t, it could have devastating effects on me now, and in the future. Slowly but surely I had learned to give myself injections over time, and I was so proud of myself. Every three months I would return to the Children’s Hospital to have a check-up to see how I’m doing. 

The doctors weren’t always thrilled with my results, and my A1C was always pretty up there, but it is a learning process. A1C, is a test that measures my level of hemoglobin in the blood and determines my average blood sugar over a course of time. It’s always hard to keep everything under control. Being a kid you love to snack on things and eat sweets, but none of that was fun for me anymore. Every single time I eat something I have to take insulin. At school, I would have to go to the nurse before lunch and do my routine and get insulin just so I could eat my food. By the time I’d get there everyone else would be eating and my friends always never really understood what was wrong with me.

Being so young at the time; it was a hard transition from eating whatever I wanted to having to watch my carb intake at all times. Ever since I have attended CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), I’ve been shown with love and kindness from both my endocrinologist and nutritionist. My nutritionist, has shown me many ways to improve my A1C. From simple tricks like cutting back on pasta all the way to counting my carbs. Being diabetic I always have to watch what I eat, continuously take insulin, and constantly check my blood sugar to make sure everything is under control. It’s hard sometimes, but it is a manageable lifestyle with the right support.

Seeing how far I’ve come all these years and having my doctors keep me on track helps me drastically. To me, becoming the best version of myself; and being as healthy as I can to improve my future is the best feeling. Helping people with diabetes like myself keep their A1C under control, learn about products, dieting, and work outs is what I want to be here for! I’m here to help take the steps to improving well being as well as a healthy lifestyle. Diabetes is just a part of life, something we can all control and live with. There will always be highs and lows (mentally and literally), this is just growing up with diabetes. But pushing towards a healthy goal will always help, especially with the right support.

Thanks for reading my story. Reach out to me and share your story!

“My Diabetes is such a central part of my life. It did teach me discipline… It also taught me moderation. I’ve trained myself to be super-vigilant, because I feel better when I am in control.”

Sonia Sotomayor