Diabetes mellitus has been affecting humans as far back as 3,500 years ago; it is not a new illness. Sadly, despite this, it is still new to us in the sense that our technology is very recent, and our research has not yet indicated a definite cause or cure for the chronic disease. With 1/3 of Canadians living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, chances are it affects you or someone you love.
Ten years ago was September 17, 2006 - a day my family never forgets. Severe weight loss, sleepwalking, and frequent trips to the bathroom was just the beginning. You can only imagine the utter shock at the age of eight years old when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the autoimmune disease that has no relevancy to my family history. How would your life change if you were diagnosed with a life-threatening disease that you were told is incurable?
There was so much we didn’t understand, and there was also a lot that we simply didn’t want to understand either. Caring for diabetes is a responsibility that presents particular demands on the family, the diabetes team, and all people socially connected to someone with the disease. Diabetes education is a great challenge that is never easy because it is important that all who come in contact with the patient are well informed, too, about the chronic disease. What a scary feeling to feel so lost. Thankfully, numerous nurses, dieticians, and endocrinologists were there at our side during all the trying times, from that first day of my journey at diabetic therapy in the children’s hospital. Now as I transition to an adult clinic, those faces have all became so familiar.
After diagnosis, I spent days in the Winnipeg Children’s Hospital, where I learned to live in a new, self-afflicting body. I was told people with diabetes could expect to live active, independent and vital lives if they make a lifelong commitment to careful diabetes management. In the initial stages, we were taken to see how much insulin my body was lacking, and how much it needed to make a “normal” life possible again. My doctors helped answer questions about how to manage diabetes and worked with my family to adjust our food plan, activity and medication. Overall, the most important lesson I learned was to remember that I am the most important member of my health-care team. |
You see, that same energy used to kick and scream in that hospital room, the energy that said “I can’t do this” is also what allows me to stand here today and say “I’m doing it anyway”. As you can tell, I am alive today… But in reality my friend’s fear (which we actually joked about at the time), wasn’t too far off from the facts.
In Canada, Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death. It is a disease that is difficult to manage. It is a life-threatening disease, one that can cause serious complications. Ultimately, diabetes is a disease with no cure. Not long ago, the accepted term for type 1 diabetes was juvenile diabetes. The reason for this was that most "clinical subjects" didn’t survive to adulthood. It wasn’t until 1921, when Frederick Banting discovered the use of insulin, that this began to change.
Someone who has diabetes produces little to no insulin, which makes you feel worn out and thirsty as the body tries to flush out extra sugar. Without a “key” called insulin, glucose cannot be used in the body. Since my body doesn’t have the hormone called insulin to get to the glucose it needs for energy, I must inject myself multiple times a day. Very often when I tell people about my needles I get comments like “wow doesn’t that hurt” or “hmm I could never do that”... Truth be told, I’m sure you would learn to get “used to” needles if your life depended on it.
When I was diagnosed with diabetes, little things like sleepovers became more complex. Whereas most “regular” kids my age were learning to tell time or maybe even ride a bike, I became competent in injecting my own syringes and testing blood sugars. Yes, you’re right. If you do the math, that means I have independently given myself insulin since the age of 8. Within the 10 years I've battled type one diabetes I have had to inject approximately 30,000 needles. This isn’t exactly my cup or tea (nor anyone’s for that matter), but I am quite convinced that diabetes will not prevent me from doing anything. You know, while it is crazy to think of just how many times I have relied on a juice box to actually save my life, this journey has been one of learning independence.
On November 14, the world celebrates diabetes day in honour of Banting’s birthday. Furthermore, November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. For diabetics like me, it’s also January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and December. Diabetes doesn’t quit. It was there in those sleepless nights, when I had to wake up to test blood sugars. It was there when a child at McDonalds stopped to ask why I stabbed myself before eating my kids-meal. It was there when I had to explain that I could eat my Halloween candy just like the other kids. Diabetes is always there, unwanted, but accepted nonetheless.
Realistically, diabetes is far more than just the physical side: the constant pokes and needles, the feeling that you’re a human pincushion. It is often regarded as an invisible disease, but it is very much a mental fight. Despite the fact that both my parents are very accepting and supportive, I have loving friends, and a family that make great efforts to ensure I am comfortable, it is easy to feel alone in this life battle- like nobody understands me. Being unsure of your own skin is a scary and haunting feeling that truly never fades, even after 10 years since my diagnosis. However, as a diabetic, it is reassuring to know that you are capable and brave and significant, event when it feels like you’re not!
Sometimes they say the strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing about. Today, I’d like to ask you to help bring this to light by standing with me. I ask you to stand with me, not because I would wish this on you, but because someone you know needs a cure!