Anyone who knows me probably knows that I have had Type 1 Diabetes for a while now. In diabetes world, we have a word for the day we were diagnosed with this unrelenting disease--our "diaversary."
I celebrate my diaversary on June 9 each year. This past June I celebrated my 16th. Yes, I celebrated. Diabetes stinks, but having "beaten" this for the past 16 years is a cause for celebration.
This past July, I took and passed the Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) exam. This has been my ultimate goal since graduating from college in 2011. I have now come full circle and I get to educate children and their parents when they are newly diagnosed with this disease at the same hospital where I was diagnosed.
"I get to...".
It's not a job to me...I would do this for free if it came down to it. The looks and feelings I get when I explain to parents and kids that I have diabetes and can relate are inexplicable. There is a sense of comfort for them that I love being able to provide.
It is not fair that these kids even have to be diagnosed as "having diabetes." For me, it's now a part of my life. But for the parents of all of these kids, I wish I didn't have to teach them about the thousands of finger pricks they will do, thousands of insulin injections they will take, or the plethora of juice boxes they will drink.
I was talking to my mom the other day and I told her that I seriously might not have a job in 10-15 years...and that's fine. I WOULD BE THE HAPPIEST PERSON ALIVE IF I WAS OUT OF A JOB BECAUSE A CURE FOR DIABETES WAS FOUND! To be able to live worry-free for just one day would be amazing.
Right now we, as people with type 1 diabetes, can NEVER be worry-free. Every piece of food, every time we go for a walk or to the gym, every time we might get stressed out...our diabetes does not give us a break. We desperately need to find a cure for this disease. This happens in small steps and even in 16 years I have seen the amazing advancements that have come along.
Thanks to the JDRF, I am confident that I will soon NOT have to go to work to teach a child about their new diagnosis. I will NOT have to explain to them that this is life-long and that they will take injections for the rest of their lives. That's why I am part of the One Group this year in order to help raise funds to beat this disease.
I also want to thank Omar and Layla, my awesome husband and 3 year-old daughter, for sticking by my side every day through this. And of course my parents who somehow led me to be a responsible adult with diabetes. A cure for diabetes for them would probably be even more meaningful than it would be for me.
Please join me and help support JDRF, the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, find a cure! You can donate today or I would love if you could join me at The ONE Party on November 9th (or both!), at American Spirit Works. Tickets are $75 per person and there will be cocktails, delicious food, music and dancing. Plus, the proceeds will go towards JDRF's efforts, so it's a party you can feel really good about celebrating.
If you can't make it to the party, you can donate online here or write a check. Please make checks payable to JDRF and include my name in the memo portion. You can mail checks to:
3525 Piedmont Road NE, Bldg 6, Ste 300
Atlanta, GA 30305
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my page and donating to a great cause!
Love,
Kelly