Rebecca Pfaff

I was diagnosed at 10 years old while living in a foreign country (military brat). While I have hoped for a cure ever since, the improvements in the tools we have to manage this disease have improved by leaps and bounds. When I started this journey, I had to wait 45 seconds for a glucose reading on my monitor and needles were thicker and at least an inch long. I was lucky to start on an insulin pump within 3 years of being diagnosed. The biggest game changer has been CGMs! As for the journey itself … let’s just say I never saw myself living past 30. I was told that having children would be very difficult and it also crushed my dream of joining the Navy. Thankfully, I was able to have two beautiful children. I have never been a perfect diabetic. I rebelled as a teenager and have suffered the consequences. Neuropathy and gastroparesis are the two biggest complications I have from this disease. Sadly, even excellent control doesn’t always prevent these sorts of issues. But guess what? I’m still alive! I’m still waking up every day to fight! Forget me thinking I wouldn’t live to see 30, my parents should have buried me before I ever received my diagnosis. But somehow, it was caught just in time to spare my life. And now here I am about to celebrate my 37th birthday. There is a reason I was diagnosed before death could snatch me away. Even if it only encourages one person. Please don’t give up. I know it’s hard! Nothing worth having is easy. We wake up daily to fight a battle with our own bodies! And I thank God every day that I was born and diagnosed when I was, in a time when insulin exists. Just remember, diabetes is a word … it is NOT a sentence!