Brook Barba

When I was diagnosed, so little knowledge was easily accessible, and the psychology of the diabetic journey wasn’t well discussed. I was undiagnosed autistic and aside from just learning about T1, I also struggled with the emotional side of food and control and also with the myriad of other dynamics of being chronically ill from a young age. My mama has always been my biggest champion along my journey, helping me learn not only the technical information from the doctors but also how to trust my body and instincts first. It is a constant learning experience – each change a body or mind goes through requires new learning and adaptation. I am so grateful to have made it so far and could not have done it without the support of my family, friends, and dia-family. I wear my diabetes gear proudly to open the conversation with others for information sharing and just for hope and it is my favorite thing about this journey. A couple of my favorite moments have been first, meeting a newly diagnosed young boy with T1 at Disney, and chatting with him and his mama about how I’m thriving, and he will too and second, meeting a father of a young T1 girl and chatting about different diabetic gear and medication, and how to look out for and support burnout and hormonal shifts and how they impact T1, and third, going to a diabetes camp as a teenager, which was a truly incredible experience – my counselor was the older sister of a T1 and her insight and empathy really made the experience beautiful. I also briefly ran a T1 blog that allowed diabetics to anonymously share their frustrations, triumphs, and other words in a community of non-judgement and support. I am so proud of how far I have made it and I look forward to be able to share in the community of T1s through story sharing!