Abigail King

The strike of a needle pierced my skin. Fear rushed through my body like a river before a flood. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but I knew it was going to be the beginning of a totally different life. Insulin. Test strips. Bolus. Needles. Carbs. Nutrition facts. Ketoacidosis. Lows. Highs. Ketone sticks. Doctor appointments. Lancets. These were all words flowing through my head.

As everyday went on, my blood sugar acted like a roller coaster, and I struggled to keeping my blood sugar in range. As everyday went on, my body ached with pain as if on fire. My body was tired which made spending time with friends and keeping up with school work hard. My grades started to slip since I only wanted to sleep. My friends started to pull away since I was never at school.

Two years after my diagnosis, my parents knew we had to do something to make my diabetes easier. All of a sudden, an opportunity popped up for a diabetic dog. A dog became available from a breeder who was about an hour from my home. His name was Asher. At first glance, he looked like a stuffed animal. The fur covering his body was soft and fluffy and had curls. He was active and playful, yet calm.

Soon the time came when I got to take Asher home. I was teeming with energy, and got goosebumps of excitement. My heart was pounding like a drum as he pounced towards me. I felt like I had a bubble of safety surrounding me knowing that Asher was by my side.

Diabetes may suck, but now I have a friend to go through the journey with.

This was part of a story the Abby had published in 2017 in the Dubuque Writers Guild annual book.

Abby was diagnosed on September 21, 2014. This was a day we will always remember. This last ten years has been full of changes as she moved from middle school to high school and then onto college where she prepared to graduate in December.