Thank you...Diabetes? - Life lessons

After both me and my parents sharing my video out on Facebook I got tons of wonderful feedback and comments on my video. I am truly touched by every single one of those comments and I cannot believe how many people responded to the video on my life with diabetes. I am truly grateful for the kind words regarding my type one diabetes - many people responded telling me to stay strong and that I am an inspiration - it was seriously so touching and heartwarming to read!

I loved seeing all of those wonderful people coming together to watch a video made by me, one fifteen year old diabetic girl, and then they all shared one view, one common opinion on my video: inspirational.

Many people do not truly understand just what Type One Diabetics live with and for those with out diabetes the world of a diabetic is a completely different planet- it is so distant and people couldn't possibly fully understand the mental implications of this disease, of course they can see the physical ones - the injections, bleeding fingers, and for many the devastating complications that come about after many years of the body's battle with diabetes, people see diabetics as they nearly pass out, then people can see them almost fall into a coma a few years down the line. The life of a diabetic is one crazy roller coaster and the support that I have received over the past few years along my journey with Type One Diabetes is just immense.

I could not express my gratitude enough for those who have helped me along the way. In particular my mum and dad. Those two people are just my shining light, they are the ones who have been the beacon of light along my journey with diabetes. My parents worry day and night about me, their daughter who is living with an incurable condition, they check my blood sugar in the middle of the night when I am ill, they have driven me to the hospital at 1am when I have been in a life-threatening condition known as DKA- probably hours away from a coma and they have done so much more.They have and still help me out with diabetes so much and I could not have done it alone. I love them with every inch of my being and to the universe and beyond. I could not thank them enough. My parents are truly my inspiration.

Diabetes is such an impossible task alone and no one should have to face it alone. More so to the point, people should not have to suffer in silence either. I want to speak out on behalf of everyone living with this disease - I want to be the change that I want to see in this world. People need to know just what Diabetes is.  Because not only do people with diabetes deal with the disease 24/7 many of us fall victim to ignorance portrayed by the general public with regards to the disease we live with.

"You got it because you had too much sugar didn't you?"
"You're not fat?"
"Diabetes is the person's own fault"

Comments like that just make my blood boil. How people could be so judgmental over a disease they have no idea about? They believe they know it all but they do not. The misconception that diabetes is the person's own fault completely undermines charities like Diabetes UK and JDRF's efforts to find the cure as people would not feel compelled to help out a disease that they assume is the person's own fault. Type one diabetes is no fault of our own.

At this point I would like to thank all of the charities out there who work tirelessly to improve the lives of us living with this condition. With out charities such as DUK and JDRF I do not believe that diabetes would be making so much vast improvement in medical science. Thanks to those people we are one step closer to the cure for Diabetes every single day.

I want to be an advocate for this disease and my dream is to raise tons of awareness for type one diabetes.

It is times like this that I realise diabetes has given me such a new perception on life. I wake up grateful for every single day because every day with diabetes is a struggle to make it through the day with out any slip-ups or dangerous blood sugars. It is a struggle to survive. When diabetes pounced on me three years ago I had no idea what had hit me, a few years down the line I have fully acknowledged my chronic illness and accepted it with the faith that I am strong enough to deal with this and in the hope that there will be a cure, so just keep pushing on and smile through it all.

Despite all of the trials and tribulations diabetes presents, and despite it pushing the harsh reality of devastating complications possibly afflicting those living with it later on in life, it also teaches you lessons along the way that you otherwise would not have learnt. Diabetes teaches you the true meaning of faith and staying strong.

There will be a cure. When there is a cure you can take all that diabetes has taught you - those precious lessons about life will never leave you.

In a way I could almost say, in some odd sense, thank you, diabetes? For all that you have taught me about life.

Type One Diabetes is the condition that teaches you to be brave and just what the words "have faith" actually mean. It teaches you who really loves you and who will be there for you no matter what.  It teaches you the true meaning of courage, hope and last but not least it grants you the gift of being able to see the light at the end of what seems to be a very dark tunnel.