I was hospitalized for DKA (diabeticketonacidosis) at the age of 18. I had spent several hours stringing Christmas-tree lights outside of the theater I worked for one evening. Winter in New Hampshire is cold. I used an insulin pump at the time and did not realize the insanely cold temperature was killing the potency of my Humalog insulin. After... Read more
The first time I saw an Insulin Pump, I fell in love. It was only three months since my diagnoses when I was 13 years old, and I was spending one long week of my summer at the Clara Barton Camp for Girls with Diabetes.
My counselor had a pump and the first thing I said to my mother when she came to pick me up was, “I WANT AN INSULIN PUMP!!!”... Read more
The day after I was diagnosed, a psychologist named Dr. Mark Detzer came to my room. With him was a teenage girl, Julie, who had Type 1 diabetes.Julie looked normal. She looked like my friends. She had blond hair, blue eyes, two arms and two legs—totally normal. The sight of Julie immediately brought an enormous sense of relief to my confused,... Read more
The summer after my freshman year at college, I had jaw surgery. I spent one night in the hospital and one night was plenty. The surgeon, a large arrogant man, did an amazing job readjusting my jaw, however, he almost killed me by trying to manage my blood sugar levels as opposed to letting me do so myself. I told the nurses, through my... Read more