Tiffany George

I was diagnosed in the summer of 2000. My family and I had been on a cruise, and my father started noticing my symptoms. I was 12, and had had a growth spurt, so my parents believed my weight hadn’t caught up to height yet. On my actual diagnosis date I was 5’9 and weighed 82 lbs. I was wetting the bed and keeping it a secret, my clothes barely fit, and I couldn’t quench my thirst no matter how hard I tried. Cruise ships are notorious for taking photos, and a black and white close-up of my face had my dad telling my mom there was something wrong. My face was gaunt, too thin, and I looked unwell. We made an appointment with the pediatrician, and I was sitting in the car eating Nerds candy on the way! They tested my urine, and with that, straight to the hospital. I missed the first three days of school, and life has had its own ups and downs since then. I graduated college, worked as an EMT for 14 years, and now work as 911 dispatcher. I use a t:slim and Dexcom, and my very first A1C was in the 13 range and now I sit happily in the 6 range. We’ve come a long way, and I’m excited to see what the future holds