challenges

challenges

Personal Essay
“Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what
makes life meaningful” (Joshua Marine). Although it took some time to accept
this quote into my way of thinking, it is now the attitude I possess in life. The
challenge I speak of is being diagnosed with Type One Juvenile Diabetes.
I was 14 years old and it was the summer before my freshman year in
high school. I had been having a few typical symptoms of Type One Diabetes
(thirst, excessive urination, and slight weight loss) but I put it off as results of the
rigorous basketball workouts that I had been enduring. Since my mom is a
nurse, we both came to the conclusion after a few weeks that this was not normal
behavior. As the result of my blood sugar level came back to me in the doctor’s
office, I quickly discovered that 368 mg/dl was not a healthy level. It was the
scariest feeling to be told that I had an incurable disease that I knew nothing
about.
As we packed up my things and headed for the hospital, I had no idea
what to expect. It was strange to not feel sick or disabled but to know that I had
a disease. The nurse came in and drew my blood - something I soon found out
that my body did not like, as I almost passed out. The rest of my stay at the
hospital (which fortunately wasn’t as long as they had anticipated thanks to my
mother’s previous medical knowledge) was full of information and waking up
every few hours for blood sugar tests. But with the support that I received from
my friends and family, I was able to handle this. If not for them, I know that my
transition into my new life would have been more difficult.
The first several months in the “real world” were spent learning about my
disease and educating myself. It was very important to me that I become
knowledgeable and self-sufficient. Having this diagnosis occur during the first
week of school, I now had to think about adjusting my school and sports lifestyle
to fit my new needs. One of...

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