November is Diabetes Awareness month, and actually November 14 is National Diabetes Day! It is a very important day for people to become aware of symptoms, treatment options, prevention and some updates on research. Knowledge and awareness are important to prevention, but research is critical to each and every diabetic out there! Everyone who suffers from chronic illness dreams of ‘the cure’, one is no less important than the other. For years, diabetes has maybe been portrayed as a disease of minor inconvenience and when things go wrong, the auto response is poor management or cheating on diet.

Yes, years! Would you believe the discovery of insulin was over 84 years ago! Thanks to Dr. Banting and Dr. Best, diabetics can survive. Maybe that is part of the reason that people who don’t understand the disease will minimize the seriousness of it. At one time diabetes meant death, now it is possible to live a near normal life with medication and insulin, diet, exercise and a lot of balance of them all. Allow me to repeat “near normal life”. There are a lot more footnotes to be attached to how that may or may not happen. I am not here to tell you statistics; you can find a fabulous write up in the November 8th Leader Post; “Saskatchewan waging a war against diabetes” and “the epidemic”.

I am here to tell you that the life of a diabetic is far from normal! Their day starts out with blood testing, likely in a finger that has turned to leather from so many stabs. That will allow them to decide how much insulin to take, how much food to eat, and maybe what kind of day they will have. This may happen 4-6 times per day, costing $1.00-$1.50 per test strip! A person in good control can get through their day totally fitting into the world, but if you happen to be a more severe, or rigid diabetic, your day can be hell! Severe diabetics may have to deal with insulin reactions, which can bring them to unconsciousness or highs, which have been described to me as “worse than your worse hangover.” Add to that the fear and concern of complications, be it heart, circulation, kidney failure leading to dialysis or vision loss, to name a few.

28 years ago, there was a 2- year old child diagnosed with type 2, insulin dependant diabetes, which means that the pancreas does not produce insulin anymore. Parents were totally unaware of the symptoms. What started out seeming like a simple kidney infection turned a planned holiday into a one-week hospital stay. This stay included education, diet plans and food choices, giving needles to oranges, blood testing, and a lot of mixed emotions of shock, anxiety, denial, discouragement, reality, and blues. How could this be happening, there is no diabetes in the family! The days at home were difficult, father would hold the child, mother would inject insulin, child would scream, cry, kick, mother would cry and both parents try to relax until the next go around. After all, it is the life of your child, you would do anything right? Those days have turned into years, one of those parents is me, that child is our son.

I would be lying if I said it hasn’t been difficult. How does a parent explain to a child on Halloween or Easter that there is no candy he can have or that he will have to have fruit instead of cake at his friend’s party? Or how do you explain to the siblings that their brother is not just Oscar the Grouch, but that his blood sugar is outta whack! And what do you say when the child asks, ‘why me mom?’ I would just say, ‘you were the chosen one, and we are blessed with you so together we will make it!” And we did, but not without family, friends, and medical support.

Together it has been a learning journey, and I am happy to say that this child is now 30, without complications. Truthfully, there is Nothing Sweet About It! But, you can live with diabetes. It is all a matter of choice, whether you want to exist or live life well.

“Look to your health, and if you have it, praise God and value it next to conscience; for health is the second blessing we mortals are capable of, a blessing money cannot buy.” (Hippocrates)