On November 21, 2019, I celebrated my 8th diaversary. It’s weird to say celebration, but that’s what is. It’s hard to say that diabetes doesn’t control you when it is a part of your life 24/7 but diabetes doesn’t define me, and I wear my insulin pump out in the open with pride.
I recently had a discussion with my mom and she told me that I shouldn’t say that “I am a diabetic,” but rather say that “I am a person with diabetes” since I shouldn’t let the disease define who I am as it is a secondary, not primary characteristic of me as a person. This conversation got me thinking: why should the good be separated out from the bad? It’s the good and the bad collectively that have shaped me into the person that I am today. Should I be ashamed to have diabetes? No! The truth of the matter is I do have diabetes and it is a major part of my life as many can attest. Does it suck at times? Absolutely! Would I rather not have the disease? Absolutely! Has diabetes made a better person? Absolutely! If I didn’t have diabetes, I wouldn’t be writing this post right now, or educating my family and friends, or be able to fit into other people’s shoes because I understand the struggle of having to overcome diversity. Diabetes is a roller coaster and it has its highs and it has its lows (sorry, I’m a punny guy!). Hopefully one day there will be a cure and I will be able to say that “I was a diabetic.” I wouldn’t want to say that “I am a person who had diabetes” because my disease is the reason why I am fighting for a cure everyday and changed me as a person for the better. Until that day comes, we can’t let the diabetes “dia-beat-us” (I really do like puns). -The DiaRunner
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JacobMarathoner, diabetes advocate, college graduate, Certified Athletic Trainer Archives
December 2020
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