Admiring Our Differences

Today’s topic for Diabetes Blog Week really starts us off the right way. Admiring our differences. Wow. Diabetes is one word, but there are so many different types and so many bloggers have different relationships to diabetes. I had to think so hard about who I wanted to talk about today. I’ve learned so much from all of you.

But the one that seems to hit closest to home for me are the blogs written by parents that have children living with diabetes. I’ve had diabetes for almost as long as I can remember. I don’t know what it’s like to live without diabetes.

I know how much work and effort I put into my own care each and every day. I know how frustrating it can be when I do everything right and the diabetes gods still don’t smile upon me. Those unexplained highs and lows.

But something I rarely, until the D-OC that is, thought about was my parents and their relationship with diabetes through me. I don’t have children of my own, but I have a mother’s heart. And I can’t begin to imagine one of my own children having diabetes.

The worry that every parent feels naturally has to be compounded a hundred fold. Maybe even a thousand fold. When I read the parent blogs it makes me realize, just a tiny bit what my mom and dad went through with me. The sleepless nights. The hospital trips. How hard they tried to just let me be a kid in spite of diabetes sometimes ruling our lives.
When I was a kid, people would tell me how brave I was to test my blood sugar and give myself shots. Looking back I hope those same people told my parents how brave they were. Because they were more brave than I ever was. If anything, I followed their lead. I was brave because they were brave.

Parent blogs make me thankful that I’m the one with diabetes, and that I’m not the one raising a child with diabetes. Although I’m sure I could do it with grace by mimicking those parents online and my own parents.

To all of the parents out there raising a child with diabetes, thank you. Thank you for doing your best. Thank you for your sleepless nights. Thank you for worrying about us. Thank you for all the stress you endure. Thank you for doing everything you can to make our lives as normal as possible. Thank you for helping us to understand that a number is just a number (it’ll be better next time). And most of all, thank you for loving us.