Your post touched my heart. I was not diagnosed with diabetes until many years after I left my parents’ home. For the last 10-15 years of my parents’ lives, they always sincerely inquired about how I was doing living with diabetes. They knew very little about diabetes, but in their heart, they got it. I guess they got it as only a loving parent can. They knew my struggle wasn’t easy and they often asked about it during phone calls or visits.
It’s one of life’s ironies that children can find difficulty understanding their parents until the children also become adults and rear their own children. I’m sorry for your loss, Sally. May the memory of your parents grant you comfort when you need it. Take care!