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It was in my fifth year of life that something happened which would forever change the way in which I
live. For the past four years, I had lived as a carefree child. That single day threw all that I had known
into turmoil; I had been diagnosed as an insulin-dependent diabetic. At the time, I believed that my life
would never be the same as those around me. Fast forward over twenty years into the present. I now
know that although there are certain things which I must pay careful attention to, such as physical
activity, I can still live a normal life and do many, if not all, of the things which those around me do daily.
This is the story of how those first few weeks of being a diabetic transpired and how they changed the
way in which I will have to forever live my life.

The setting is early March 1990. The location: Regina, Saskatchewan. I had been at home when my
mother first began to notice that I had suddenly began to drink a lot more water than I normally would.
As she had just seen a television advertisement about being certain to look for the warning signs of
diabetes, she decided that she should check for some others. By deciding to do this research, she
discovered that I did indeed have many of the other signs. This is what began my journey into medical
care in regards to diabetes. As my mother did not yet have her license, we took a taxi to the Northgate
Medical Clinic, where I saw my family doctor and was given what is known as a glucose tolerance test. At
the end of this testing, it was determined that I did indeed have diabetes. I was immediately sent to the
Regina General Hospital. This news was confusing to me, as I did not yet know what diabetes was, and
was troubling to my parents, as they did not know how to deal with a child with diabetes. This trip to the
hospital was but the beginning of many such trips for me.

Upon my arrival at the hospital, I was admitted to ward 4F, which at the time was dedicated to
treatment of newly diagnosed diabetics. This ward has since been converted to the pediatrics ward.
However, at the time, this ward allowed me to be surrounded by others who also had diabetes and
therefore see that others had diabetes as well and that I was not alone. That first day, it was believed
that I would only be in the hospital for one to two weeks. However, as a young child who had never had
to eat on a set schedule before, I at first refused to eat according to the schedule which the hospital
dieticians set for me. Due to this, my hospital stay ended up being close to an entire month. During this
time, a diabetes educator would spend time both with my parents and myself, giving us training on a
wide variety of things, including nutrition, how to manage insulin reactions, and what to do in case of
illness. An event which sticks out in my mind from this period of time was learning the proper way to
give insulin injections. We would first practice on a doll, injecting it was saline solution, and once we had
mastered that, we would inject ourselves with the same solution.

Although my time in the hospital was over two weeks, I was granted day passes approximately halfway
through this stay. This allowed me to return to my pre-school classes. However, by this time, I had
begun to be extremely dependant on someone being with me at all times, and as such, my mother
would often have to stay for the entire class.

As time progressed, my diagnosis with diabetes became increasingly easier to have as a part of my
everyday life. One aspect which helped in this transition from naïve 5 year old to diabetic was my time
spent at Camp Easter Seal, a camp designed by Saskatchewan Abilities Council to help in your becoming
more independent with your diagnosis. This camp not only caters to diabetics, but also to individuals
with some form of mental illness. It was at this camp that I first gave myself a solo insulin injection, thus
opening up the door for me to do more independent things, not always being fully reliant on my parents
to be there. However, as with any sort of illness, I have also relied on my parents in times of illness to
ensure that I am getting the proper medical care or that I am looking after myself properly in terms of
insulin reactions.

It has over twenty years since I was diagnosed with diabetes. I will not say that it has been easy, as it has
not. However, being diabetic has allowed me to grow more as an individual, having to deal with
different difficulties that I otherwise would not have. It has now become a part of my everyday life, and I
no longer remember a time when it was not. My routine has become one which includes the aspects of
diabetes management: testing blood sugars, injecting insulin, always being aware of the amount of
activity I am involved in. This has also caused me to learn more about nutrition than I would otherwise
know, such as the exact value of different forms of foods, and I eat on a healthier meal plan that I
otherwise might. And yet, even with these many conditions which are on my life, I have come to the
realization that those many years ago I was wrong. I can live a normal life, participating in many of the
same activities as do my friends. The only difference is that I must always be conscientious of that which
I am participating in as well as the fashion in which I am doing so.


   

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