Check out the cuteness of my parents. They raised me to know (without ever saying it out loud) that diabetes would not stop me from doing anything. It turns out the nurse diabetes educator in the hospital where I was diagnosed taught them that in their first days of learning about diabetes.
I am now a parent with diabetes. That takes hard work, a lot of thought, and attention. I can’t even imagine being a parent of diabetes. I have so much respect for my parents and how they managed back in the dark ages (urine glucose monitoring, etc.), and for parents who do it today.
My parents never made diabetes a big deal. They took it in stride, made it part of life, and moved on. That is the most amazing gift they could have given me. And it shaped how I have managed my diabetes since I became independent. Granted, I still did a fabulous job of being a typical adolescent and young adult and thankfully lived through all that.
What I’m really talking about, though, is the attitude they instilled in me: an attitude that life is first, diabetes is second. I believe that with all my heart, and I manage my diabetes such that I can live my life. My dad often said (not referring to diabetes, and it still fits), “anything worth having is worth working for.”
There you have it. Thanks, Mom and Dad.