World Diabetes Day

Every single day diabetics around the world are pricking their fingers, counting carbs and giving themselves insulin.  Despite there only being one day a year titled, "WORLD DIABETES DAY" every second, every hour and every day diabetics around the world are celebrating diabetes, I guess celebrating isn't really a good word for it.

I think that for the most part diabetic's celebrate that they are alive and acknowledge the fact that without insulin they wouldn't be here to enjoy what life has to offer. But, beyond that diabetics are busy enough dealing with their diabetes and working hard to maintain good health psychologically and physically that the whole celebration doesn't take place very often.  

For me on this one day of the year that I get to shove diabetes-ness in everyone's face I would like to point out that when the clock strikes 12:00 a.m it will no longer be diabetes day for the world, but for those that are waking up at 4 a.m to eat a snack or for those that are having to check their blood sugar 5 times on November 15th and every day following that, diabetes day is every single day for us.

So for the diabetics out there that are living diabetes day - everyday, I think that we should celebrate our diabetes. Because like that weird birth mark you have or that lisp, diabetes makes you unique.   Without diabetes we wouldn't have one another.  I know that I would not have had such the opportunity to meet amazing people like Stephanie, Nadine, Chloe, Meredith, and so many more.  

Diabetes gives us reasons to not eat gross food that people make for us because we can just insist that it has too many carbs.  It also gives us the reason to eat whenever we want, we NEED that chocolate bar because our sugar is low (wink, wink).    Diabetes gives us something to talk about when we are in an awkward situation and topics on the weather have already been discussed.  

Not only does diabetes give us random knowledge on insulin and our body it also gives us random nutritional information that we can brag about to girls who think they are doing a good job at avoiding sugar and carbs.   Having diabetes shows others that we are strong and can handle whatever life has to throw at us or in our case take away.

Diabetes has allowed us to separate our friends from true friends to friends that don't want to deal with your diabetes as well as introduced us to non-diabetics that wish they were diabetic because let's face it, diabetes is cool.

Let's not forget that diabetes has also provided us with pretty cool gadgets like insulin pumps and that USB meter. Not only can we get excited about colour choices, but we can also get excited about graphs even if the line is all over the place!

But, most of all we should celebrate that diabetes isn't that bad. Yes the neighbour is going to tell you that they know someone who knew someone that lost their leg from diabetes, and the doctor is going to tell you that you need to tighten your blood sugar or else, but I know and you know that living with diabetes is second nature now and that there are a lot of good things that can come from diabetes besides free glucose meters.

Kayla