I Freaking LOVE My Diabetes!


 2017-08-31

I want to preface this article by saying: this is not by any stretch of the imagination how I feel every second of every waking day, which, to our great fortune is the amount of time we spend with our closest acquaintance: The Betes. But at this very moment, as I have been cruising at 98 for the better part of the morning—part of my inspiration to write this—here we go.

For as long as I can remember, being unique has been my main focus in life. So much so that the draft of my tombstone etching reads: “Well, at least I can say I was different.” (I’m still deciding if I’ll add a smiley face emoji at the end. It may be in bad taste.) But the diagnosis of type 1 at the young age of 14 was not exactly the type of “unique” I was aiming for.

In my mind, “unique” meant: strong, kind, independent and hard-working. Type 1 did not make me the type of unique I wanted to exude. It meant lacking a fairly vital organ: my high (blood glucose levels) BGs doing a spectacular job of disrupting my mood, sneaky lows did not compliment any aspirations for independence, and high or low swings compounded my already scatterbrained mind.

In my “desire to be special,” as my mom will fondly put it, I firmly stand by the notion that if I am going to be unique, it will be 100 percent of my own fruition —conscious and calculated.

After said diagnosis, I cruised for awhile, not entirely embracing my type 1 diabetes. And as an angsty teen, this did not manifest itself with me trying to reach my fundraising goal at the local JDRF One Walk. But more of a “So you think I can’t have a few jelly beans because I have diabetes? Watch me eat ALL OF the jelly beans” type of situation.

Fast-forward to a moment of life-altering epiphany: one substantial enough for me to say to myself, “This is it. You were dealt this hand and you have no other option than to take it.”

Having type 1 diabetes has forced me to find the silver linings, not only in the management of my disease, but across all aspects of my life. A mindset that certainly has made Present Gabe the type of “unique” my 14-year-old self hoped to be.  After having had this disease for nine years and making a career of helping those with diabetes, a lack of control is still what is most bothersome to me about type 1. No matter how precisely I count or how much I exercise, The Betes can still surprise me … in some of the worst ways possible.

Though, what if we all made the conscious decision to respond to that which we have no control over in a positive manner? What if we seek out each and every silver lining, diabetes related or not?  Giving us, a sense of control they we may feel we lack.  Type 1 has made me different—a little more hole-y than I once was, sometimes sweaty and occasionally in need of assistance.

Am I less strong because of this disease though? My last A1c would prove otherwise.

Has it made me less kind? Well, nothing in this world would make me more empathetic than knowing exactly how it feels to need another human, or to get nervous on a date resulting in a very sweaty low episode, to know the physical and mental pain of a chronic illness, or to know what not having any control over your body feels like—and be okay with that.

I relish in the difficulties because they give me an opportunity to tell someone, “I understand,” when they need help. Diabetes has illuminated in me the desire to seek out the silver lining to all of life’s trials and tribulations.

And that is why I freaking love my diabetes.


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WRITTEN BY Gabe Rosenthal, POSTED 08/31/17, UPDATED 10/13/22

Gabe has had type 1 diabetes (T1D) for nine years. She graduated from Eckerd College in 2016. After a very last-minute decision to pursue a life helping others with T1D spring semester senior year, she went on to work for JDRF in various roles, and now works for Insulet. Her best advice in managing type 1: wake up for sunrise yoga, and never be without string cheese.