Type 1 Diabetes—The Best Gift In My Life
Type 1 diabetes was a blessing in my life, a gift that made me the man I am today. Type 1 diabetes? A blessing? A gift? You don’t hear that every day. You probably don’t ever hear that at all.
My name is Aseel Soueid, I’m 20 years old and I’ve had type 1 diabetes for 16 years now. I was diagnosed when I was only 4 years old. Growing up with type 1 diabetes was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face in my life, and it was something I had to face every single day, minute and second of my life.
The fact that I knew that I could never change or make my type 1 go away was something that really bothered me as a child. Confusion, feeling lost and discouraged—I know these feelings. I’ve lived that way for so long. Growing up as the “odd one” in the group. At the time of my diagnosis, the doctor told my family and I that I would never be normal again.
I was never blessed with great genetics or any talent with sports and quite frankly, I was always scared to partake in any physical activity due to my type 1 diabetes.
When I began middle school I was tired of holding myself back all the time. I began swimming and doing martial arts. I was amazed at how fast I could progress in these sports and this really grew my confidence. I trained hard no matter what my circumstances were and I got better every day. I swam for one of best teams in the state and found myself wanting more. By the time I was 16 years old, I picked up my first weightlifting/bodybuilding magazine. I looked at the people in these magazines and thought about how strong and confident they must feel with such an amazing physique and dedication to the gym. I asked myself, what’s stopping me from looking like that? My type 1? I sure as hell wasn’t going to let that stop me. So the next day I got a membership to the gym and I’ll never forget that day. I lifted weights for the first time and immediately became addicted to the self-improvement aspect of the sport. I began doing endless research on training and nutrition. I learned new things about my body to better manage my type 1 diabetes.
I made it my mission to conquer my type 1 diabetes to become the best person with type 1 diabetes (T1D) I could possibly be. After training and learning for two years, I wanted to do more. I wanted to help others and reach out to people who were in the same cage I was in years ago—in the barrier of confusion, depression, anxiety and loss of hope. I started my own YouTube channel where I inspire and motivate other people with diabetes to do the same and live a healthy and fit lifestyle that they’re proud of. I know what it’s like to almost lose yourself when it comes to having type 1 diabetes and controlling your health. When I finally felt that I was conquering this disease and became confident in not letting type 1 diabetes define me and what I do is when I truly started living.
I’ve never been happier in my life. Now, my mission is to help others do the same. Whether you’re looking for motivation, inspiration, advice, help, or someone to talk to, I’m always a few clicks away. My YouTube channel is called “Diabetic Aesthetics.” I post extremely helpful, motivational, inspirational and entertaining videos that anyone can benefit from. I consistently post three to four videos per week in hopes to reach out and impact as many lives possible.
Never let anything set you back when it comes to achieving something you set your mind to, even something as tough as type 1 diabetes. This disease made me strong, confident, fearless, brave and consistent. This is why I consider it as a gift in my life. I couldn’t imagine where I’d be today without the life-long lessons and principles type 1 diabetes has taught me. No matter what, always remember that you’re not alone.
Read 10 Reasons for Hyperglycemia During Training by Phil Graham and follow Aseel on Twitter here.
