Diabetic Since Age 3

by Paula
(USA)

I'm 21 years old and have been diabetic since I was 3. My mom was an RN while I was growing up and basically went everywhere I went and took care of me. She was the one who managed my diabetes until I was sixteen (basically until I was too much for her to handle). My mom always told me take care of yourself or you'll end up with no feet or hands, she always threatened to take me to the dialysis center to scare me into taking care of myself. I was lucky that my mom loved me as much as she did. She wanted me to have the best opportunities and do the best I could. She sent me to an all diabetic summer camp. I loved those summers. I finally felt normal. The summer before I started high school I met my best friend to this day, Leah. She'd been diabetic since she was 7 so we were pretty close. We hit it off and spent the next four years of high school goofing off and not taking care of ourselves together.