I was 11-years-old when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I remember feeling extremely tired and dehydrated. My vision was blurry, my head was in constant pain, and I had lost an immense amount of weight which I was ignorantly praised for.
My diagnosis came as a shock to the whole family as, to our knowledge, there was no history of type 1 diabetes in our bloodline. Yet, as I lay in the hospital emergency room with Blood Glucose Levels (BGLs) sitting upward of 20mmol/L, it was hard to refute. It was also very hard to accept.
Beyond being a prepubescent young girl facing the standard societal struggles each young person faces, I was dealing with a chronic illness and that meant I was different.