Ten years ago today, I was a newbie with diabetes having type 1 diabetes for just 3 short years and years away from the insulin pump I have today. Fast forward to today, I’m not where I hoped to be with diabetes if you asked me back then. I will get there. I’m constantly thinking about improvement. It will happen.
9/11/2001 is a day I will never forget. I was sitting in my dentist chair when the new flash came on the TV with the first tower on fire. The rest is history…
Where were you on 9/11/2001 when the world changed? Is your diabetes where you expected it would be thinking ahead 10 years ago?
There are certain events in people’s lives that are unforgettable and change things permanently in one way or another. Major disasters such as 9/11 affect the world globally, and being diagnosed with a chronic disease affects your entire life (as well as the lives of those closest to you). It’s interesting to see the connection. When watching the events unfold on TV, and when listening to your doctor explain what diabetes is and how you are going to have to live with it from now on, it feels surreal, like you can’t believe it is happening. You think about what it will mean for the future, but your mind can’t free itself from the impact of the moment. You feel pinned down, rooted to your spot as the wave of what’s coming crashes onto you.
Good news though is that you can and will survive. America survived 9/11, and in certain ways it has emerged stronger. The fight against terrorism has not been lost, and hopefully one day it will be eradicated. Same thing for the diabetic. With proper care and management he or she will overcome his or her condition, and one day, if we put all our efforts and resources into it, we will find a cure for diabetes. We need to be focused on the goal.