Have Your Pie and Eat it Too!

Ham, turkey, carrots, dressing, gravy, biscuits, cranberry sauce, sweet potato soufflé, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pie... I ate it all.  The only additional thing I had to do this Thanksgiving was count carbs, and give insulin with my pump!  When I was 8, I was fortunate enough to get on an insulin pump.  Every time I eat, instead of having to count carbs, use a bunch of equations to figure out how much insulin is needed to cover those carbs, and then give myself a shot, I just use my pump!  I enter the carbs and it does the rest!  I try to limit myself on sweets because they aren't good for anyone! Having Diabetes doesn't mean I can't eat sugar... in fact I can't remember ever missing a slice of cake on my birthday, chocolate on Easter, or s'mores at a bonfire!  As long as my blood sugar is good and I give insulin for what I'm eating (preferably before), I can really eat anything I want to!  Of course too much of anything is bad, and I do try to limit myself on unhealthy foods because let's be honest... they don't do anyone any good!  But... I feel like on Thanksgiving you can splurge a little :)

My Story

It all started when my parents noticed that I was thirsty and hungry all of the time, losing a lot of weight, and using the bathroom constantly.  My mom picked me up from school one day, right after lunch and took me to the doctor... that's when my world began to crumble, or so my parents and I thought at the time.  On September 9th, 2001, I was diagnosed "Type 1 Diabetes."  I was seven and had no idea what was happening.  My mom and dad were supposed to cook me dinner and take me to school, not give me shots or prick my finger!  My parents were already an emotional wreck, so that combined with me freaking out made for a bad night.  We decided it was best that I stayed in the hospital for a few days to help us figure everything out and calm everyone's nerves.  Once things got somewhat settled, I went home and tried to get back into the normal swing of things.  I was in second grade and within a few hours, suddenly had a whole lot more to worry about than your average seven year old.  Obviously a lot about my life had changed, and soon, so did a lot about everyone else's.  The morning of September 11th, after I got home from the hospital, I was lying in my parent's bed and saw a bunch of smoke, fire and terrified people on the news.  I called my mom into the room and what she saw was something that I wouldn't fully understand for several years.  The attacks on the Twin Towers that day put the news of my diagnosis into a whole new perspective.  Yes, I would have to give myself insulin and test my blood sugar for the rest of my life, but my family was still together and would always be there to hold me up.  What seemed like the ultimate end of our world quickly became just a small bump in the road.  My dad, who had been scheduled to fly out of town for work, was at home safe, because of what had just happened to me.  I was blessed; we were blessed!

Since that day, I have graduated high school and started my freshman year of college, played probably over 200 tennis matches, gone to the Bahamas with my family and so much more!  I do what I love, and live my life like any other eighteen year old!