Type 1 Diabetes Personal Narrative

Living with a chronic condition not only effects the individual, but it effects the entire family. An adolescent living with a chronic health condition not only depends on their family for support, but also on support from their friends, classmates, and healthcare team (Rostami, Parsa-Yekta, Najafi Ghezeljeh, & Vanaki, 2014). Supporting an individual with a chronic disease leaves an emotional impact and can be financially straining as well. Families living with a sick child must find strategies to cope. Whether the coping strategies utilized are positive or negative, they leave a lasting effect on the entire family, as well as the child living with the condition (Woodson, Thakkar, Burbage, Kichler, & Nabors, 2015). Involvement of the parents in this situation is vital to the child’s future success in managing their illness (Landers, Friedrich, Jawad, & Miller, 2016). This paper will explore one family’s story of living with, and coping with, a child who has recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).

Right when we heard those life changing words, “He has diabetes,” we knew our lives, especially Billy’s, had changed. My mom started calling my dad to meet them at DuPont and my grandparents to watch my brother, Matt, and me. When we got home, my mom started rushing around the house making sure she had enough stuff for the hospital for that night. Billy, who was eight years old, had

I am 18 years old now, 8 years since my diagnosis, and I have learned many things from encountering diabetes. I balance what I eat, with an occasional sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth. I’ve learned management. I balance school, sports, and other extracurricular activities with my

Almost all of my family on the mother’s side has had or are living with Diabetes. In 10th grade, I had to do a report on Diabetes. I also do walks to support those with diabetes.

I’ve always known I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know exactly how I was going to do it. My sister has influenced me to pursue a career in the healthcare. At the young age of 20, my sister was told that she was in stage 3 renal failure. At the time I was only 16 years old and still trying to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, getting news like that was difficult to absorb. The constant doctor visits made me realize a health profession is what I was going to do. The incredible doctors and nurses who have been a part of my family’s journey have left a huge impact on me. The compassion, drive, and dedication to not only their work but to their patients have woken

My diagnosis forced me to become incredibly responsible at a young age because of how serious my disease is. I am an incredibly responsible person to this day because my survival has been and still is dependent on my management of my diabetes. My diabetes has helped me to become a much healthier person, as I now truly know what it means and what it takes for me to be healthy. I have also learned a remarkable amount about how strong I am due to this disease. I have been through so much because of this disease, including numerous near-death experiences, and the fact that I have survived it all proves my strength. Over the years, I have come to learn that, while diabetes is a large part of my life, it is not the only thing about me. This realization has allowed me to push past any fears that I have had because of my diagnosis, and focus on what I know I can do rather than focusing on all of the things I am unable to do. This is, in my own personal opinion, the most important thing that I have realized about my disease, because it has helped me realize that I want to inspire others and show everyone that my disease does not and will never limit my

My niece Mikah Bradford was born October 13th, 1988. She was born prematurely. Mikah spent the first month of her life in a neonatal incubator. My second oldest sister Crystal sat by her side the whole time singing to her. I was born May 18th, 1990. Mikah and I grew up as if we were sisters. The year she turned thirteen she was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. The doctors did not want to scare her too bad with the diagnosis, but looking back now they should have. Mikah kept eating what she wanted and gaining more weight. By the time Mikah turned twenty-one her doctors did not like the way her body was causing her pain. A few months after she turned twenty-one Mikah suffered a server diabetic attack.

On July 14th 2010, when I was twelve years old, I was rushed to the hospital because my blood sugar levels were 407. Before my mom had observed that I was rapidly losing weight, drinking a great amount of water, and was continuously tired. My mom was worried that I had type one diabetes because others in my family has diabetes.

Instead of just eating when I wanted, I had to poke my finger and then get a shot. Now, instead of shots every time I eat, I only needs shots every three days. I think that diabetes has changed me in many ways. It definitely made me a stronger person. I joined groups on Facebook with other diabetics, and even joined a support group in a local town. Being with other people who were like me, made me feel like I was the same after that. Being Type 1 Diabetic has made me a stronger, more independent, and more confident person overall. Having to deal with all of the highs and lows of diabetes has shown me that sometimes I need to work hard to receive good results. Every three months I get a blood test of my average blood sugar for the last three months. That number helps keep me in line, and I need to put all of my effort into improving my health. One key thing that effects blood sugars is stress. That has had a big impact on my life, because I don’t chose when I’m stressed, I just am. That makes me realize that I can’t control everything in my life, but I need to do my best that I can

Very true. What was my little jolt? Yes, I know I’m 56 and it has me take a while to figure things out also appreciate them. The depression likes to take over, however I’ve made a decision to change for good. I’ve lost from my family so much that enough is enough. Not be able to assist to my granddaughter’s baptism, it has been the little jolt I need. I’m not at the family picture from that special day. I broke into tears.

To begin, I was my mother’s first born. I am the oldest of the biological siblings and for 5 years I was an only sibling, I was treated much different and knew I could get away with more for these first years. After 13 years, my parents adopting my older sister. I was the oldest sibling for 13 years then I was the middle sibling. I was no longer the “rule setter” and instead had more strict rules due to my older sister’s behavior. She also came from a much different background than me and she helped shape me and open my eyes to how different people can be raised.

When most people look at me, they probably don't realize that every day I deal with type one diabetes. Which, is rather ironic considering that diabetes is a vast part of my life. Not a day goes by where I can just stop caring about my blood sugars or the carbohydrates in the foods I eat, even though doing so would be much easier.

Look closer though, notice where my fingers are calloused because I prick them 10 to 12 times a day to test my blood sugar. Look at the bruises on my arms and legs where I inject myself with insulin 5 to 7 times a day. Diabetes is a blessing and a curse, saving me from the stares and pity, but keeping the severity of the disease—and the difficulty—hidden as well.

Throughout my life there have been few people that have made an impact in my life, but the one that has made the greatest influence in me is my older and only sister, Diana Cienfuegos. Although we often argue, I know I was very fortunate to have someone who guided me through the right path in life. My sister has been my role model as a student, given me strength when I need it, and helped me in whatever she could to make me happy.

Being diagnosed as type one diabetic, it creates multiple situations that require the patient to take responsibility to help control their disease. Receiving this type of diagnoses can restrict the opportunities for the patient and impede their comfort of life. “In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes” (ADA par.1). Thus being diagnosed as a type one diabetic is not a common incident, only affecting the few “unlucky” individual’s from the total population. Majority of the time individuals are