By show of hands…have you ever had such a long week, that by Wednesday afternoon you were reasonably sure that no one would blame you for starting your weekend early and skipping out on the remainder of the week? Alas, I see that is all of you. OK, you can put your hands down now (and thank you to those of you wearing deodorant). Now as the majority of you are dragging yourself across the finish line this week (TGIF), I imagine that many of you did so with the fantasy of sleeping in this weekend. While I can only speak for myself, I know that I promised myself lots of “catch up” sleep as motivation for getting through this week. But then I remembered a slightly inconvenient fact…that I will be forgoing some of that coveted sleep to get up early and drag myself across a different type of finish line. That is because this Sunday morning is the annual JDRF OneWalk.
I cannot believe it has been almost 3 years since our lives were forever changed by type 1 diabetes (T1D). After we made it through the first year, I recall feeling almost empowered in a way…as if we could do anything as a family. And, even on the days where I require an extra cup or two of coffee, I still believe we can!
But what I did not know was that surviving that first year was only the beginning. Although we had tackled a year of medical firsts, there was much more to T1D than this pediatrician and single mom of three recognized. This last year, in particular, has begun to teach me how truly little I knew and appreciated about the social, emotional, economic, educational, sibling, family, and professional implications of T1D. As we humbly attempt to navigate the many facets of T1D, I feel a renewed sense of the need for education, awareness, and advocacy for all people and families living with type 1 diabetes.
Even now, more than two years into this journey, I still think back on those days in November 2016, when I was forced to reckon with both my intuition as a pediatrician and my inner mom voice, both of which whispered, “your child has diabetes.” That whisper grew to a louder whisper and then to a shout, over the course of two days. On November 5, 2016, shortly after my son turned 20 months, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. That day marked the beginning of a new journey for him, and for our family as well. He is now 4 years old, and while this path has had many twists and turns this last year, we are grateful to have friends and loved ones by our side.
This Sunday, hundreds of patients with T1D, along with their loved ones and friends, will gather at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, to walk a leg of this journey together. Each year all over the United States, there are similar JDRF OneWalk events. I hope that you might consider lacing up your shoes and walking alongside the T1D community as well. Like any journey with a T1D, I promise there will be snacks! And coffee…you can never have too much coffee.
For more information or to find an event near you: https://www2.jdrf.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=walk_homepage
The Least Interesting Thing 