D-blog Day!

In the diabetes community, November is a big deal. AKA American Diabetes Month, November is a time to raise awareness about this disease in all of its forms: Type 1, Type 2, LADA, Gestational, and Type 1.5. (Bet you didn't know there were so many, did you?)

Although about 95% of diabetics in this country are of the Type 2 variety, in my household Type 1 gets all of the attention. My daughter, Jenna, was diagnosed with diabetes at the tender age of 2. She is now 7 years old and has lived the majority of her short life dealing with this disease day in and day out.

As her primary caregiver, not a waking hour passes without my thinking of its effects, either immediate or long-term. Even sleeping hours are interrupted with middle of the night checks. I'm not complaining -- just stating facts. And battling common misconceptions about Type 1 diabetes is tiring. I don't blame people; after all, I didn't know much about it before Jenna's diagnosis. No, she did not eat too much sugar to "bring this on." No, changing her diet will not get her off insulin. No, she will not grow out of it. No, there is no cure.

Yet.

At this age, Jenna has no knowledge of the long-term effects of this disease. For now, that is my burden to bear.

But someday she will.

And when that someday comes, I hope I have good news to give her. I was told by an optimistic CDE on the day of Jenna's diagnosis, "A cure is right around the corner." I suppose in the grand scheme of things "right around the corner" is relative. Could be a year...five years...in my daughter's lifetime...in her future grandchild's lifetime.

Or never.

But I, too, am cautiously optimistic. And until the day I can tell Jenna that she is cured, the best way to deal with this disease is to educate myself, my daughter, and anyone who's willing to listen.