One of the prompts from the ADA 30 Blogs in 30 Days challenge asks you to consider and write about the friends and family who contribute to your well-being. How do they help you? What is it that they do for you?
I like to think I don’t heavily lean on family and friends when it comes to taking care of myself. I consider myself an independent person who is strong, smart and capable of doing what’s necessary. However:
1.) If I have a low in the middle of night, or if I am somewhat far away from the fridge, I always feel comforted if Matt can bring me a glass of juice or something to eat. If I’m high and a bit groggy/cranky, I take a correction bolus and request a glass of water. We read carb counts on food wrappers together. We are trying to eat more veggies together. I may be the primary person responsible for The Big D, but no doubt about it, we are a team.
2.) I am grateful for the care I received from my mom and dad when I was young. I probably don’t say that enough. They both worked really hard to make sure I got to be a normal kid who just happened to also have diabetes. My mom gave me my morning injections. My dad gave me my injections before dinner. I learned how to give myself injections when I was in fourth or fifth grade--I was diagnosed during the summer before I started third grade. I was always happy that my parents were supportive and helpful when it came to diabetes, even when they were annoying the hell out of me in my teen years. (But whose parents don’t during that time of life?)
3.) My closest friends throughout middle school and beyond and their families affected me, most of the time for the better. I think some friends’ mothers were so excited that I was around. Finally, they could serve their family a balanced meal with lots of veggies and everything! I must admit I often worried I was a bother. I always felt, deep down, that I was disturbing other people’s family routines, maybe I was a bit of a burden. Cari’s mom felt obligated to buy sugar-free ice cream if I was coming over, no matter how many times I mentioned that I could still eat the real stuff. She and Melissa’s mom both started purchasing diet sodas. Melissa’s mom had a whole shelf in her pantry where she kept the “Hannah Food”. My dear friends, if my requiring “healthy foods” ever caused your moms (and you *know* how they are) to make you feel bad about yourselves, I’m sorry. I hope they never said anything bad about me in return, but you never know.
Anyone who has ever touched my life has, whether directly or indirectly, touched my life with diabetes. So thank you, all my beloveds, for buying Diet Coke for your parties, for not minding my poking myself at your dinner table, for putting up with the super-scheduled meals of years gone by, for cracking jokes about my insulin pump. I will even thank everyone for their occasional nagging. I know it’s not always well-received, but your intentions are good. And yes, Mom, I still don’t regularly log my sugars like I should. But I love all of you. Thanks for all you do for me.
It was a good thing I switched to diet soda -- I didn't need those calories either. And as for the ice cream, that wasn't mum's insistence, that was mine. I always wanted to make sure that when you came to my house, you'd never have to miss out on anything the rest of us got to have. (Keep in mind, at the time I was convinced that sugar would kill you.)
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