September 26th marks 32 years since we started our battle with diabetes. It has truly been an amazing journey. Not only have I met some amazing people along the way, but I have also learned some things during this time. There have been many good things, but also some tough lessons.
No matter who says what might, could, or will happen, it hasn’t happened and it hasn’t happened until it has. It’s better to be surprised than disappointed. I know some people say they were told it would take “X” years to heal, but there are two big ways this one statement is misleading. That “X” number of years will always remain unknown. Listen to the people who have been told this to their face. I believed it and, even worse, shared it because I wanted it so badly. I can never, and never will, say I am sorry enough about that. But as bad as I feel, my trust in this person has been broken forever and it will always hurt. But the lesson for you is to keep trying hard and keep working for yourself and/or your child who is fighting this disease every day. What are the best tools, the newest tools, and the real tools? The other is the word heal. You have to understand what it means and use it to your advantage for yourself and your loved ones. It's certainly an exciting time in the world of research into devices to both manage disease and biologically reverse the disease itself, but be mindful of what all of this means for you.
When we started, the Internet and World Wide Web were in their infancy. The Internet is perhaps the most powerful tool in the fight against diabetes, and anything you want to know about your diabetes journey can be found in an instant. But in that beautiful landscape there are also dark holes. Lies. People who say they understand, but really don't. Scammers trying to play on the fear in your heart. Be careful and verify everything.
In the beginning, we waited 90 seconds for blood sugar results, insulin pumps and CGMs were dreams not real, and insulin was made from pork. Things have changed dramatically, mostly for the better.
People who have been diagnosed in the last 5 years have no idea what it “used to be” and I suspect there will be even more changes in the near future. A senator from New York spoke at my child's high school graduation. In the speech he said that by the time your child graduates from college, over 40% of them will be working in jobs that haven't even been created today. Stop and think about that for a second.
The diabetes landscape is also constantly changing. Our first child was diagnosed with diabetes, our world fell apart, and just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, our youngest child was diagnosed as our second. I marvel at the success of my children. There's an inner pride in any parent knowing that whatever their children accomplish, they've accomplished it with an asterisk. And that asterisk is that they've accomplished something amazing in their battle with dreaded diabetes. But they've done it. They're doing it. And so do we as parents. So take a moment to look back and realize how far you've come.
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