Thank you Diabetes for storming into my life. Thanks for almost killing me, having me meet the best health care givers in the world, allowing me to reflect on life even at 14. For almost seven years now we've been stuck together. More like I've been stuck with you, you just don't seem to pick up my hints to have you leave. You're more than welcome to, if you want to of course.
I might hate you sometimes but damn you have brought me a lot of good. My pancreas disagrees on this though, but let's leave that one out of this conversation for now. This is my moment to say thank you. Because you don't get the credit you deserve 99% of the time. It's because of you that I am who I am today and I am where I am today. If not for you my life would have looked so much different, much more healthy.
Thanks to you I started to reflect on life, on the privileges I have in mine. I was born in a wealthy European country. I have access to amazing health care. I can choose my own diabetes supplies and health care insurance. Plus you got me the best doctors and nurses I could have wished for, they are truly amazing and have helped me deal with you in the best way possible. You don't go easy on them or me though, maybe cut us some slack?
Thanks to you I decided I wanted to use my privileges for good things. Thanks to you I got in touch with Worldmapping who brought me along to South-Africa and Brasil. Trough whom I met so many amazing and inspiring people. People I am still in touch with today, people that still influence me or help me make choices, whether they know it or now. Thanks to my great experiences with Worldmapping I ended at Puylagorge. And that has become my happy place for these last three years, and this summer it will be my happy place again. Here too, I met so many incredible people, new friends, amazing families with even more amazing kids. Special needs kids who are just special to us, volunteers. A place where no one looks at disabilities in a negative way. A place where no one is different, not even me! And you don't even know what a relief it is to not be different sometime, to just be. A place where nobody cares about my diabetes because we all have our special skills. And Diabetes, without you I would never have gotten there, to that incredible place.
Also Diabetes, you showed me who my true friends are. Thankfully I already had pretty good taste because nobody left me because of you. They accepted you even before I had because that was who I was now. Thank you for helping me meet new friends, with and without chronic illnesses. Thank you for allowing me to joke about you to make myself and others have a good laugh. Thank you for helping me check other people's blood sugar to make sure they aren't diabetic as well. Even though I secretly wouldn't mind having more diabetics in my life.
Thank you for showing me how fragile and precious life is. Thanks for showing me how incredibly strong my body is even though I feel very weak sometimes. Thank you for helping my family except my other struggles and thanks for helping me in finding help for all those problems. Even when you turned out to be one of them. You stayed around nonetheless.
Thank you Diabetes for helping me to accept myself. To trust on myself more, to become more independent. Thanks for helping me grow. For all the opportunities I got because of you.
Diabetes, sometimes, well most times I don't like you too much. You seem to complicate things quite a bit. But despite all that I wouldn't want it any different, you are a part of me. Because of you I'm me.
Thank you Diabetes, to many more years together!
Lots of love,
ThatDutchGirl96
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