Freedom: How I Beat Diabetes

It is a dream of every 16 year old in America to finally get their drivers license. That little plastic ID signifies freedom: something every kid at that age longs for. Finally, we are able to break free of the ridiculous rules of our parents and we can make our own decisions. It is a huge step toward being an adult and getting to that next portion of life that has been a part of our fantasies and aspirations for at least a year or two.

On my 16^th birthday I woke up at least two hours before the DMV even opened and was ready to roll out the door 15 minutes later, despite the fact that it was only a ten-minute drive to the final destination. Eventually we got there and my name went on the waiting list. Soon enough my name was called and then all of the nerves set in. At that point, I was probably a nervous wreck and shaking because I simply could not fail the test. Failing would be the end of me after waiting so long to earn the freedom of driving. It’s all-good though because I passed on my first attempt! When they handed me my brand new license, with the really awkward portrait of myself, I felt like a new man. Life was great! Now I could do what I wanted and no one could stop me. I was ready to take over the world.

The Most Intense Journey of My Life

Diabetes is a lot like the weather. It’s not always going to be 75 and sunny regardless of how great the climate is, just like you won’t have perfect blood sugars all the time regardless of the quality of your overall control.  With the seemingly infinite number of things that can affect blood sugar, you are bound to have high and low readings occasionally but if I have learned anything from living with the disease for the past 11 years, it is to accept the highs and the lows but also look at them and try to diagnose why they occurred. Hopefully, through that diagnosis, I can prevent a similar situation from occurring again.