When I was much younger than I am today, I saw this film about two people who were living fairly identical lives. Somehow, they became mixed-up and ended up in each other’s stories and we, the viewer, quickly realize that there is no ‘identical’ anything but they can be close.
One of the things I love about the Diabetes Community is that we all have our lives in our separate parts of the country/world; we have different customs, beliefs, traditions, and in actuality there is much that differentiates us but the one thing that connects us is this disease called diabetes. We are; kindred spirits, brothers-and-sisters-in-arms, co-joined ‘commiseraters’, and a force to be reckoned with wherever we are.
My life would be a shell-of-itself had I not come to know so many incredible people in this world of diabetes. Truthfully, I find it hard to believe what my life would even be like had I not known many of them. The emptiness that would occur would be staggering.
Stop and think how many people you know because you are involved in this diabetes universe. I know, I know, it’s a horrible disease and you wish you never knew anyone involved because it would mean your child never had diabetes……..believe me, I so get that; and yet, since we are here, isn’t it nice to know that many people you have met are fighting the same war as you?
Sure they may choose to support a different cause, a different researcher, a different educational style, and even a totally different organization than you do; but they ARE involved. They are in the battle right along side of you. I think we also look real cool together in a bike-riding outfit; a 5k outfit, and we also look pretty darn good going to a black-tie gala as well, don’t we?
But in all of this, what we share above all are the tears on a pillow. The millions of tears that have been shed over what we go through. It’s that common bond that allows us to hug each other when we see each other or to feel comfortable on the phone with someone almost instantaneously when speaking for the first time. You see, we are parents. We do not know what it’s like to have diabetes but we DO KNOW what it’s like to be a parent of a child with diabetes. We know it all too well, don’t we?
A club that none of us wanted to be part, a situation that none of us asked for nor would wish on our worst enemy, an ocean of tears that make us feel all alone, a disease that makes us “just do nothing” in our fund-raising, educational, and advocacy efforts. On this day, I think of all of you who I stand beside each and every day for our kids. To make it a better place for them, a place they can understand more, a place that one day, we hope, will be no more because a cure has been found.
I think of all of you and the tear-stained pillows we all have because we do what it takes not to show our children any of our pain. On this day, I think of all of you and all that you do around the world because we are parents……….and diabetes will just not do in our homes. We will not stop until that changes……..and we will stand together until that day arrives. I love fighting this war with YOU. Take THAT diabetes.
I am a diabetes dad.
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