A Divabetic's Team

We all know diabetes isn't a walk in the park. It's a lot of things to remember, it's a lot of nights to wake up and try not to fall down the stairs to get a juice. It's a lot of set changes, finger pokes, and things to worry about.

I'm very fortunate to have a team of amazing people helping me out with this. There are plenty of different roles to fill, and not every role in my team is necessary for, say, Hannah's team. My team is composed of many different ages, roles in my regular life, and levels of fun-ness.

Role #1-Blood Sugar Dictator: That's the good-old M-O-M. There has to be one person (or sometimes two) that makes sure you are always on the ball. And of course, if you fall off the ball, there's someone there to grab you by your ear, and plop you right back on. Thanks Mom :)

Role #2-The Chef: Dad makes sure everything is completely healthy, and complies to my strict diet, both diabetes and celiac have run rampant through our pantry. Dad cooks so well, and it's great to be able to eat something other than a slice of gluten free bread with a piece of cheese.

Role #3-The Listener: Hannah, of course, is the number one. Hannah and I have stayed up late, talking about a low blood sugar  and exchanging tips. It's an amazing feeling that, at 10pm on a school night (sorry Mom, Dad, and whatever teacher may or may not read this) that someone who's got the same stuff going down as you do can come to you, and you alone.

Role #4-The Voice of Reason: Garnet and the amazing Ms. O'Brien. They're not necessarily the ones telling me not to do stupid stuff, but their voices are in my head telling me "You do not need to eat pasta for dinner. Have a salad." It's quite the system I've got going on here.

Role #5-The Supportive Teacher: The teacher that knows your blood sugar when he looks at you from down the hall. Mr. Sidman. My amazing physics teacher. He's just so on the ball, and can totally tell if I look a little off when I walk down the hallway. Thank you Mr. Sidman.

Role #6-The Man: Ari. What can I say about Ari. He's the one who agrees with everything I say about my diabetes. Just tonight, I told him about how I had to change my site twice because the first one bled a bunch, and he was like "Ouch. That sucks." And honestly, that's all I need. I just need someone to say "I know how much this sucks. I don't want to say I know how you feel, but I just want you to know I'm there." But of course, being "The Man," it gets said in fewer words. You just have to distinguish the meaning for yourself, ladies.

There are so many other people on my team, like Dr. Marshall (my endocrinologist and the driving force behind me wanting to take better care of myself) and the "Teacher Who Sees Past the Diabetes," the one and only Joe Romano, who unlike every other teacher, has never had a conversation about my diabetes with me. It's refreshing, actually. I love it. I love going into English class and knowing that I can leave my diabetes at the door.

These wonderful, amazing, kind, selfless people may not realize what they do has a huge impact on my (and your) life. They're special people. And every diabetic has them, or at least some variation of them. So, if you're diabetic, thank your team. Even if you kick, and scream, and fight them the entire way, they're still fighting on your side, regardless of what you do to them.

Hope you get some perspective.

Much love,

Alexa