Well it’s been a long time since i thought about the events leading upto the day when my life changed. I was in my first year of highschool trying out for the senior varsity basketball team and i was busting my butt every day pretty much trying to get in shape and make the team. I was always cold, tired, eating like a horse, drinking water like it was going out of style and going to the bathroom whenever i had a spare minute. I knew i didn’t feel right but i thought i was just getting the flu or something and i battled through it cause i really wanted to make the team. One of my coaches noticed the drastic weight loss and kept asking me if i was eating but i never thought anything of it because i was eating… alot. I ended up making the team but on my first game day i was so sick and exhausted that i couldn’t even get on the court. The next day i woke up for school and didn’t feel like going. My mother said that if i didn’t go to school i had to stay in bed all day which didn’t sound like much fun so i decided that iw ould tough it out and start walking. I got the the end of the block when suddenly it was like my legs just didn’t want to push me any firther towards the school. I went home and told my mom and she took me right up to the hospital where doctors did every test imaginable except for the test for diabetes. All the results came back normal so they just said i had the flu and to go home. The next day it got worse so my mom took me back upto the doctor and without knowing anything about diabetes and no record of it ever in my family she asked the doctor to do the test. The doctor agreed and by the next day i was in the hospital and told that i had type 1 diabetes. I was so scared. I knew nothing about diabetes and i thought that i wouldn’t be able to eat anything that tasted good ever again. I was still in such rough shape that everything just flew by and i didn’t even listen to anything the doctors really told me. The next day after my sugars were back down to normal I requested all the material possible on type 1 diabetes and i just started to study. I had excepted the fact that diabetes wasn’t going away and it wasn’t going to rule my life. I read for weeks on end and i did all the reserarch on every possible type of insulin at the time and i knew exactly what each kind did and i picked the one that would best suit my lifestyle. Diabetes was mine and I was going to control it. The day i told myself that was the day my life would change forever. I am now in a position where not only do i have complete control over my diabetes but I have the awesome opportunity to help educate and council other diabetics. I feel so special and gifted that I am able to be an advocate for others in my community. Diabetes is only scary when you don’t know what it is. As I was writing this story i was filled with a sense of pride and happiness. I never thought at all that diabetes would be a positive thing, but it’s only what you make of it. I just wanted to write my story. Thanks
I agree with Mark; knowledge is power… Take care.
What an inspirational story Billy. You’ve overcome a lot and embraced the opportunity to help others. How great, even if you can only help one person to not have to go through what you have been through. Your positive attitude and winning spirit will keep you going forever. Keep up the good work of educating yourself and others!