On September 18, 2010, my life was changed forever when I was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Pricking my finger 10 times a day and administering shots to myself 6 times a day would be my new schedule from then forward. I was extremely self conscious about it. Not knowing how my friends would take the news, I avoided telling everyone for as long as possible. My mom noticed how unhealthy my relationship with my illness was. I would never get away from this part of me, so she figured I should embrace it rather than hide it. Her solution was sending me to diabetes camp; I was not crazy about the idea. Hundreds of kids bonding over their shared disease did not sound like my cup of tea. However, many tears later, I packed up my bags and said goodbye to my parents for a week.
…show more content…
I was crushed when I saw my parents’ car pull up because it meant I wouldn’t see my new friends for another year. One of the first things I told my mom on the sorrowful drive home was that I realized how lucky I am. I don’t go through chemotherapy or radiation treatments. I don’t lose my hair. I’m not dying. For the most part, diabetes isn’t even painful at all. I wouldn’t even consider myself sick; I’m just different. I am so incredibly lucky that all I have to do is check my blood sugar a few times a day and give myself medicine. I am forever grateful that camp taught me this crucial lesson, but it was hard to put into words why I suddenly felt lucky to have a disease. That is, until I remembered a tweet by a newly published author who goes by the name Jomny Sun. It has become my favorite quote and I try to recite it as often as I can. He wrote “A reminder that if you replace ‘I have to…’ with ‘I get to…’ then human life becomes
I was crushed when I saw my parents’ car pull up because it meant I wouldn’t see my new friends for another year. One of the first things I told my mom on the sorrowful drive home was that I realized how lucky I am. I don’t go through chemotherapy or radiation treatments. I don’t lose my hair. I’m not dying. For the most part, diabetes isn’t even painful at all. I wouldn’t even consider myself sick; I’m just different. I am so incredibly lucky that all I have to do is check my blood sugar a few times a day and give myself medicine. I am forever grateful that camp taught me this crucial lesson, but it was hard to put into words why I suddenly felt lucky to have a disease. That is, until I remembered a tweet by a newly published author who goes by the name Jomny Sun. It has become my favorite quote and I try to recite it as often as I can. He wrote “A reminder that if you replace ‘I have to…’ with ‘I get to…’ then human life becomes