Today, November 14th, is World Diabetes Day. I thought this would be a perfect time to publish this blog! There are several reasons I wanted to stat this blog...
1. I am extremely passionate about being an advocate for T1D (Type 1 Diabetes) awareness, education, and support.
2. I was diagnosed with T1D almost 9 years ago. Throughout those 9 years I have written various pieces on my diagnosis story, the story behind my diabetes tattoo, how diabetes has shaped my life, how it has guided my career path... the list goes on. The majority of these pieces are in old school assignments, personal journals, instagram posts, etc. I want to have one place where I can compile old thoughts, as well as new experiences, in order to provide myself with an outlet and provide others with education, support, and hopefully some good stories.
3. While I am passionate about all of those things I have mentioned, as well as fundraising efforts, I have gotten away from making advocacy a priority in my life. Now don't get me wrong, T1D is a priority in my life every day (not much of a choice with that one!) but I used to be much more active in fundraising, JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) events, social media posts for education, etc. The last year and a half have been very busy- I graduated college, moved to the city, and began my career as a nurse- and with all that I have gotten away from this passion. I figured this blog would be a good starting point to get back into the swing of things.
So with all of that being said, what exactly will be on this blog? Well I hope to combine some of the stories I have written about my experiences with T1D in a comprehensive manor to tell my diagnosis story, challenges, and successes. I will also post non-diabetes related content, for example things I have done that diabetes has made harder to accomplish, but not impossible, and how I go about that. I want to post educational tools for those that might not know much about T1D and hacks for fellow diabuddies. It will be in a work in progress but I am excited to get started!
So back to World Diabetes Day!
Today marks the birthday of Frederick Banting. In 1922, Banting co-discovered insulin. And like..... thank God right!
I assume some people think it is strange T1Ds "celebrate" various significant diabetes dates. For example, we are known to celebrate our "diaversaries." (Diagnosis day anniversaries). However, WDD makes pretty obvious sense. Today is a day to celebrate the groundbreaking discovery of insulin, and all of the additional groundbreaking information and technology we have learned since 1922. I feel grateful to have such technologies that ease some of the management of this demanding diagnosis.
I pause today to honor my mom, who has been by my side every step of the way, and for the rest of my family, friends, nurses, doctors, researchers, advocates, educators, and the entire T1D community. One thing I have learned in the last couple of years, is communities are incredible when they come together to help one another, and the T1D community is no exception.
I pause today to commend myself for always doing the best I can, for finding a balance between living my life fully and staying healthy, for allowing T1D to be a blessing in my life- no matter how often it may feel like a burden. T1D has blessed me with lessons of empathy, strength, courage, determination, and patience. It has also guided my career path in nursing. So thank you Frederick Banting, for making this life of mine possible. And here's to all of the current researchers working tirelessly to continue advancements and .... (you knew this was coming)... Kure Kel :)
PS: Remember that advocacy and educational stuff I said I was passionate about? Two years ago on WDD, I hosted a challenge called T1D1D (Type 1 Diabetes for 1 Day). Check it out on the blog post titled T1D1D!
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