Hello everyone, this is my first blog post. I have my own blog site, please advise on how to best put my blog entries on here.
Graduating high school and university, getting your first apartment, owning a home…it all comes with growing up.
At 29, I’m very proud to say I have done all the above. I’ve also gone through my fair share of heartache, triumph, loss and pride in accomplishing big life goals.
I’ve lived on my own for over six years now, am financially independent and pretty much run my own “life show”.
It’s a shock at any age to be diagnosed with diabetes, but at my age, I just wasn’t expecting it.
I’m old enough to make all my own decisions, make serious choices about where I want to be, and hey, I’m young! I’ve still got lots of energy (although not as much as 22…oh, I do feel the difference) and I’ve never had any health problems.
That’s why it was a smack in the face when the doctor told me I had an autoimmune disease that would stay with me for my entire life. It was a shock so hard it had me on my knees, in tears, asking God why this had to happen, and at all times, now.
Through the wonderful diabetes online community, I’ve been able to connect with many adults who have lived with diabetes for much of their lives and wonderful parents who are raising children with type 1. There are many times I think, “How have you done it? I cannot imagine having diabetes as a child.”
But many have responded to me by saying, “I cannot imagine being diagnosed as an adult. This is all I’ve known, but you’ve lived without it for so long.”
I can only speak for myself, but there is a certain feeling of loss that comes with being diagnosed as an adult. For so long I have only relied on myself. Now, I feel a reliance on those around me to administer glucagon or to know the warning signs of my highs and lows. My loved ones need to watch my mood, be sure to assist in any sudden swings in my blood glucose levels, and this responsibility is one that I had never wished my friends and family to have.
Being a young adult means the world is in the palm of your hands. My parents, like many others, want to see their children enjoy this special time of being young, but also wise from some solid years of life experience, independent and making those wonderful memories in career, love and travel to name a few.
For me this experience, which began just a few months ago, has made me re-evaluate how I live, what I want in the future, and has shown me truly how precious time is.
Every diabetic has a special journey, no matter when he or she is diagnosed. The purpose of this post is to honour those diagnosed as an adult, a special group who face their own set of unique emotions about the time in which fate has decided to show this disease to them.
To all of you, and everyone else, from parents, to children and caregivers, I salute each and every one of you. Together, we will not just survive, but thrive.