I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in January 2001. I was in my last year of high school and ready to take on the world – as ready as you can be at the age of 17. I was a typical small town teenage girl with a close knit family, a good group of friends and a drivers license. I liked school in grade 12; I barely ever skipped (sorry Mom & Dad). In my second quarter, I was excited to be taking Biology 30 with my favourite teacher. Our unit on autoimmune diseases began with us having to choose a disease to research and present it to the class. In a weird twist of fate, I chose Diabetes. The more I learned, the more concerned I became that I had Diabetes. But isn’t it always that way? When you’re focused on something, you see it everywhere? I mean, I was a healthy young woman who was never sick. How could I possibly have diabetes?

After carefully reviewing the symptoms, I decided I should probably go to the doctor. I remember being so tired after school that I would crash on the couch until my parents got home from work. I was up three or more times in the night to use the washroom, and would spend what felt like hours drinking straight out of the bathroom tap. I had a brand new pair of glasses that didn’t really seem to be helping my blurry vision. My clothes began to hang off me as I rapidly lost weight. I remembered walking into the lab to get my blood drawn. My nurse was the mother of a close friend, and she looked concerned. After my diagnosis I remember her telling me that she didn’t need to draw my blood. She could see it.

The next few months were a bit of whirlwind. I spent a few nights in the hospital, took many classes and met what would become my medical family. I took the day off of my medical career to get my grad photos done. I learned how to count carbohydrates. I learned how my body reacts to insulin, stress, exercise, hormones and so many other factors. It’s not an exact science even now after almost 20 years. Many highs and many lows later I’m still learning about myself and my disease.

I returned to school a few weeks later. I wrote my Biology 30 provincial exam, and aced the written portion – about diabetes. So there I was, armed with a high school diploma, ready and set to go to university. I had very little knowledge of how this disease would impact my life. I sometimes wish I knew then what I know now, but my experiences have shaped me into a person I am proud to be.