Ismael Robles

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of the six. It was a complete surprise since no member of my family on my mother or father’s side has the disease. I remember it super clearly: I was in second grade and had just finished lunch. When I came back to my class after recess, I felt a terrible headache and stomach come on and asked the teacher if I could go to the nurse. The school nurse was surprised to see me as I never asked to see her before and she instructed me to lie down with an icepack. As soon as my head hit the pillow on the cot, I blacked out immediately. I was out for a few hours from stories my mom has told me, but then immediately remember waking up in a hospital surrounded by the sensational Dr Mark Wheeler and his team at Tucson’s Banner Health in their Pediatric Endocrinology wing. I can safely say that if it wasn’t for their kindness and compassion, neither myself nor my family would have transitioned as well as we did during that time. I’m turning 30 this year and all though, diabetes has always kept me on my toes, I’m stronger than ever, happily married to my best friend in the entire world and my gorgeous daughter was recently born – diabetes free! There is hope, there is a future waiting for us, and with the right village and outlook, we all are strong enough to survive and thrive.