Katie Carter
October 11th, 2007
I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 12 years old and have now been living with it for almost 14 years. Diabetes is a hard disease - it is a daily task to manage my blood sugars and I needed to understand my body, which is hard when you are only 12. But you know what? It is a controllable disease and it was in MY hands to be successful at it. I have always been blessed and had treatment options available to me although the options now, versus even just 12 years ago when I was diagnosed, are amazing. It really makes the disease controllable and it is further proof that you can LIVE with a disease; it doesn’t have to be your life. I remember taking just one insulin shot a day and since then I have been through numerous treatment options – 2 different types of shots, 4 times a day, 10 times a day, etc. It becomes a hard thing to manage when all you can think about is when your next shot is or whether you remembered to keep up with testing your blood sugar…. Just this month, I began on the Insulin Pump and it has made a remarkable difference in my life. The research behind Diabetes is continuing and I know there will be a cure in my lifetime. I can feel it.
Many people let Diabetes control their life and dominate how they make decisions. Even though I was only 12, I decided that that I would control Diabetes, and it would not control me. It is hard and I obviously wish I was “normal” sometimes, but it has taught me a lot about myself, my health and my goals in life. I can now live my life regularly without thinking about my insulin every second of the day. I am running a half marathon this weekend and I travel regularly for work – so anything is possible. It is a wonderful feeling to be in control of my disease and I am so glad I didn’t let it control me.
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