My diabetes story ﭢ
First, I want to thank Frederick Banting for the invention of this amazing drug insulin. In 1924 the first insulin injection was given, and he has been able to save million of lives since
At the bottom are some photos:
- photo of a pre-diabetic child as it causes havoc on your entire body physically.
-photos of me and my sister during diagnosis.
My story starts off nearly 5 years ago on March 28, 2008 in Singapore. My sister Drew who is now 16, has been a type 1 diabetic since she was 10 years old. So, I guess you could say the Matthew's have a pretty rough genetic make-up. My little sister, Sadie, who is 12 is diabetic free for now, and I am hopeful for FOREVER. Haha! I really doubt she'll get it.
I had been living in Singapore for almost a year. I was in grade 8 at an international school here in Singapore. I noticed that I started feeling more and more exhausted with every day. I was thinking, "oh maybe, it's just from school and sports." For Spring break, we went with some other families to an island in Malaysia. I had a grand time, but ate about three ice creams everyday and began thinking, "This is really weird!" I started getting a bit worried, but didn't think much of it.
One weekend, I was just casually joking with my Mom and Dad about being diabetic since I had been drinking so much water and such. Due my hypochondriac nature, they brushed it off as the chances of a second child was unthinkable. Drew, being cute, was like, "Hey Tay, I'll check your blood sugar for you." She did. And it was bad. The meter read, "hi." We were thinking that something must be wrong with it. We re-did it. Same thing. "Hi." My dad googled what that meant. "Hi" meant that the blood sugar was over 600 mg/mL.
With that, we all kind of knew. I didn't even know really what to think. I guess I was surprised, but also a little scared. This was the night we were supposed to go and celebrate Drew's birthday. At this point, my dad knew he had to take me to the hospital. So we went.
Basically, the next two days were just filled with tears, protocol and pain. My diagnosis experience was a horrendous one. The nurses really had no training in diabetes and knew very little about the whole disease. Thank the Lord, my Dad and Mom knew how to care for a diabetic already. Because of this horrible experience, we discharged an entire day early because we weren't getting anywhere.
I ended up going to school pretty soon after that and tried the best I could to conceal that part of my life. I was pretty self-conscious about it due to the lack of support and just being a middle-schooler.
But, I did have Drew and I did have my family. They really helped me pull through. Diabetes effects many areas of my life DAILY. The whole disease can be monotonous, tiresome and annoying. People with diabetes are more likely to develop depression and other issues than the average person.
It has been rough, but it has been good. I have become a stronger individual because of what has happened to me. I have had two scary experiences with diabetes. I am so thankful for my parents and the way they have assisted me over the last years. Being in high-school and having diabetes has been challenging. With academics, sports, and everything else you are demanded of, managing diabetes can be so annoying.
Living in Singapore has also been a challenge as there is not a lot of diabetic advocacy, support or education here. The diabetes technology is also lacking, so I am currently on shots until I move back to the US.
It has just been in this last year that I have accepted it. I have been able to join online diabetes group, educate myself, change my diet and exercise regime, and over all improve my perspective on living with a chronic illness. I want to be able to help others with diabetes and show them that diabetes can't stop you from ANYTHING.
You can still choose to pursue your life.
Diabetes is a life sentence, not a death sentence.
At the bottom are some photos:
- photo of a pre-diabetic child as it causes havoc on your entire body physically.
-photos of me and my sister during diagnosis.
My story starts off nearly 5 years ago on March 28, 2008 in Singapore. My sister Drew who is now 16, has been a type 1 diabetic since she was 10 years old. So, I guess you could say the Matthew's have a pretty rough genetic make-up. My little sister, Sadie, who is 12 is diabetic free for now, and I am hopeful for FOREVER. Haha! I really doubt she'll get it.
I had been living in Singapore for almost a year. I was in grade 8 at an international school here in Singapore. I noticed that I started feeling more and more exhausted with every day. I was thinking, "oh maybe, it's just from school and sports." For Spring break, we went with some other families to an island in Malaysia. I had a grand time, but ate about three ice creams everyday and began thinking, "This is really weird!" I started getting a bit worried, but didn't think much of it.
One weekend, I was just casually joking with my Mom and Dad about being diabetic since I had been drinking so much water and such. Due my hypochondriac nature, they brushed it off as the chances of a second child was unthinkable. Drew, being cute, was like, "Hey Tay, I'll check your blood sugar for you." She did. And it was bad. The meter read, "hi." We were thinking that something must be wrong with it. We re-did it. Same thing. "Hi." My dad googled what that meant. "Hi" meant that the blood sugar was over 600 mg/mL.
With that, we all kind of knew. I didn't even know really what to think. I guess I was surprised, but also a little scared. This was the night we were supposed to go and celebrate Drew's birthday. At this point, my dad knew he had to take me to the hospital. So we went.
Basically, the next two days were just filled with tears, protocol and pain. My diagnosis experience was a horrendous one. The nurses really had no training in diabetes and knew very little about the whole disease. Thank the Lord, my Dad and Mom knew how to care for a diabetic already. Because of this horrible experience, we discharged an entire day early because we weren't getting anywhere.
I ended up going to school pretty soon after that and tried the best I could to conceal that part of my life. I was pretty self-conscious about it due to the lack of support and just being a middle-schooler.
But, I did have Drew and I did have my family. They really helped me pull through. Diabetes effects many areas of my life DAILY. The whole disease can be monotonous, tiresome and annoying. People with diabetes are more likely to develop depression and other issues than the average person.
It has been rough, but it has been good. I have become a stronger individual because of what has happened to me. I have had two scary experiences with diabetes. I am so thankful for my parents and the way they have assisted me over the last years. Being in high-school and having diabetes has been challenging. With academics, sports, and everything else you are demanded of, managing diabetes can be so annoying.
Living in Singapore has also been a challenge as there is not a lot of diabetic advocacy, support or education here. The diabetes technology is also lacking, so I am currently on shots until I move back to the US.
It has just been in this last year that I have accepted it. I have been able to join online diabetes group, educate myself, change my diet and exercise regime, and over all improve my perspective on living with a chronic illness. I want to be able to help others with diabetes and show them that diabetes can't stop you from ANYTHING.
You can still choose to pursue your life.
Diabetes is a life sentence, not a death sentence.