In a comment to yesterday’s article, Wendy so aptly commented, “This disease is not for the faint of heart.” She’s right.
I have also over-used the word ‘Stolen’ over the last few days because it’s the perfect word for what has been done to our lives and in various aspects of our lives.
Stolen.
I’m sorry if I’ve completely depressed you using that word. I mean who the heck needs THAT as a reminder. But today I hope to wrap it all up together by reminding you of a very simple fact. We all have had these things stolen and when we started, we all had much softer hearts. ALL OF US.
We can talk about how many people, both kids and adults, have survived this ordeal as well. Whether we have been left ‘coping’ with life because a child was lost, or have completely dominated life overcoming obstacles. Look around you. Someone is in a place now that YOU WANT TO BE IN and got there by undergoing incredible ‘stolen’ aspects.
My point: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You can realize that these things have all been stolen from you and call it a day; or you can look to someone (and believe me, they are out there) who has been faced with the same circumstances and find out how they got through it.
The most incredible thing about this community is that we are VERY quick to jump in and help when needed. Advice, supplies, money, time,…..you name it and the diabetes community will help. I have seen it countless times in my 23 years of being part of this exclusive club.
So if my ‘stolen’ writings over the last few days have made you sad, or had you reflecting in sorrowful way…….realize what it is you are going through.
Got it?
Now start the steps to healing and moving on. Because the truth is, on this earth, there will come a time when all of us will have their time come due, and it will all be over.
This is an INCREDIBLE world, with incredible people, doing incredible things. SO many of us have been where you are; as parents or as people with diabetes. Ever ask yourself, “How could ‘so-and-so’ be so dang happy with all of the hardship they have had in their lives. They are happy because they went out and ‘found’ happy and did not wait for happy to come to them. They went out and found a way to cope, and to move forward.
It will feel robotic at first, but that is to be expected. But we each hold the power to get through this in the manner in which we do. When our first child was diagnosed, I thought it was the end of the world as I knew it. I made a promise to her in the hospital which I have kept to this day. When my second child became diagnosed, I thought it cruel and inhumane treatment to be asked to go through it again.
But we had choices.
And it is here where you can pull ahead. Education is the equalizer. The more you know, the more you can deal. The best landings of an airplane are made in the approach. This is not different and that approach comes down to our attitude.
I leave you with this……..if diabetes has ‘stolen’ something from you…….go…….and steal it right back. We have all been there……and have done it……..SO. CAN. YOU.
I am a diabetes dad.
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One reply on “Stolen…..This Disease is NOT for the Faint of Heart”
Yes, part of our lives and our kids’ lives were “stolen” in the typical societal sense; however, we have created a generation of children who comprehend, and maybe more importantly have shown their peers how to comprehend a different sense of the state of “normalcy” in which society resides. My daughter is 20 and has been a T1D since she was 9. I have noticed that not only my daughter, but her peers have demonstrated not so much an empathy as an unquestioned acceptance of those who are not the same as the majority (be it T1D or other differences). Whether they have physical, emotional or mental challenges, I can say that my daughter and her friends just “adjust” to any situation. It is not something they think of as additional “work” but rather just as the status quo. Do I wish that the challenges didn’t exist? YES!!! But the fact is that the world is full of challenges, and I am proud that we have resolved to, without fanfare or elaborate displays, be an inclusive community. For those who think we live in a small, rural area- think again- we are from Miami, Florida. I couldn’t have done this without my daughter’s strength (she’s now a Jr. in college in Boston). I have to (to keep my sanity) believe that what has been “stolen” has been replaced with a strength and committment beyond my wildest expectations. With that said, Diabetes sucks, but we shall persevere!