Friday, May 18, 2012

Diabetes Blog Week: Post #5

Laila is very special to me, and her opinion is always important, no matter how small the matter or issue at hand. I love blogging for her, and hope one day she'll follow in my footsteps and love writing as much as I do.

This post is titled "What They Should Know". There are hundreds of things I wish I could tell people about diabetes, but I decided to keep it to a minimum, there are a couple points I'd really like to stress, and I think Laila and I are on the same track.

"What is one thing you would tell someone that doesn't have diabetes about living with diabetes?"

There's only one thing Laila can't do now that she has diabetes, and that's create insulin. She can do anything she sets her mind to, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Laila is unstoppable, and I remind her of this all the time. I've watched her overcome so many obstacles in such a short amount of time, there's nothing that's going to hold her back now. She's at the top of her class, she is absolutely beautiful, funny, strong, independent, athletic and she loves to be a kid. Laila has fears just like any other child, dreams and aspirations, too. With the medicine and technology available, and the power she has from testing her sugars on a regular basis, there's not a thing that's going to hold her back, absolutely not diabetes.

Diabetes isn't just "diabetes". It's a lot more than a name for this terrible disease, it's the management that goes along with it. Day and night. Night and day. It never goes away, and it never will. Diabetes is the hours spent advocating for your child with the school, the dance studio, the hospital. It's the sleepless nights you spend stumbling down the hallway with a meter and a flashlight to check blood sugars. It's that feeling of your heart dropping when a high number flashes on the screen before you, and it's the triumphant feeling you have when you double check yourself and find your instincts were right after all. Diabetes is always being prepared, having fast-acting sugars on hand, side by side to the dreaded Glucagon pen, it's checking your supplies every time you leave the house. It's smiling through the tears, pushing through the anger and sadness to find joy in the things you love. Dismissing the sideways glances and stares, the comments you're not supposed to hear, the feeling of being totally, positively helpless. Diabetes doesn't discriminate, it knows no age, gender, race, or religious affiliation, it takes you by surprise and it doesn't hold back. It's not anyone's fault, and it's not curable. These things constantly weigh on my mind. If you never take another thing away from me or this blog, just remember this: no one asked for this, so please be patient. It's all we've got to hold on to.

I've decided to let Laila do some of the talking. She may only be 6, but she's wise beyond her years, and she has something she'd like to say.

"What is one thing you would tell someone that doesn't have diabetes about living with diabetes?"

Last August, at a visit to the doctor, we decided I was going to get an insulin pump. I remember that I saw a bunch of different types of pumps, a lot of colors to choose from, and even different colors for the site. I really liked it all. I was excited to get one because I didn't want to do shots every time I was eating. Now that I have the pump, it's a lot better because I can eat food whenever I want to and I can just put it in my pump. I like having my pump, it's my favorite color-it's purple!

Just because I have diabetes doesn't mean I can't eat whenever I want to. It doesn't mean I have to go hungry, it just means that I can't eat every minute. I have to check my sugar for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes I check my sugar when I feel low. Only if I feel low. How would you feel if you had diabetes?

Having diabetes is the only thing that makes me different from other people. I still like to bake with mommy, I love going to dance, and I like to play with my little brother and sister. I can still go swimming, eat cupcakes, and do all the other things kids my age do. I just lost my front teeth! Diabetes doesn't make me any less fun, I just need to check my sugar every few hours.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Love, Laila

3 comments:

  1. Laila, you are just amazing! "Diabetes doesn't make me any less fun, I just need to check my sugar every few hours." --I bet that is so true! You can be anything you want, any disease only holds you back as much as you let it. Never let your diabetes define you Laila! ROCKSTAR!

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  2. What a beautiful writer you are, Laila! I am so proud of you and I know Mommy is too! Thank you for sharing:)

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