Ashley Whitaker

My very first introduction to diabetes was seeing both my grandfathers having to care for themselves. They would show me how they took shots and explained how diabetes affected their bodies. I knew the smell of insulin before I had to use it myself. By the time I was diagnosed in October of 2010, they had passed on. I was the sickest I had ever been. I had no clue what was wrong but I just felt like I wanted to sleep. My mother took me to the doctor and they couldn’t get a read on my number. I was rushed to the emergency with a glucose level of over 1000 and told that I was lucky because I was so close to slipping into a diabetic coma. The doctors diagnosed me with Type 1 Diabetes. Being in the hospital for a while was hard because I was now facing the thought of accepting that my life was forever changed. I grew to know that my life could still be a good one. It just looked a little different than I imagined. About 5 years after diagnosis, I was able to get devices to help with the care of my diabetes. The years that I had no devices, I was able to get my A1C down from a 12.0 to a 7.0 which was a big deal for me. After I was able to learn the devices (Omnipod and Dexcom), I got it down to a 6.1 at it’s lowest. I don’t hide my devices because of how exciting it was for me to see others with theirs. That showed me I wasn’t alone in this. It brightens my day to be able to connect with others who are like me and if I have knowledge that is helpful to someone about the journey, I never hesitate to share it. This journey has taught me how important it is to take care of yourself and to allow others to help you along the way when you need it. A diabetes diagnosis does not mean your life is over. Life can be so beautiful even with diabetes.