Through multiple encounters with people throughout the summer, I have constantly had to explain what Type One is. Whether it was "... not the same as Type Two." or "living with multiple injections a day..." I have had a hard time finding the "right way" to explain it.
Which put me to thinking ...
Type One has taught my family and I to connect on a different level.
Anybody who experiences hardship in their life, develop a different perspective on life.
Through an altered perspective, that person's new perspectives change their priorities.
For myself, what used to stump or upset me, now seems fairly minute. Even when it is crazy, expensive, hard, or even painful - life goes on. When your priorities are in order, everything else seems to just fall into place.
Before Type One entered into my family's life, everything was about the here and now. "How to feel accepted by others" ... "How to make sure we were always in a 'comfortable place'" ... Yet, looking back now, I find that as long as we look at how much we have; we don't need anything else.
For my own family, one of those "perspective-changing" books would be "Breakthrough" by Elizabeth Hughes.
After reading this book, our family came to the harsh realization that 90 years ago, we would have buried three of our siblings in less than three years!
Let me expound. :)
Before insulin was discovered, those diagnosed with Type One were able to be put on a strict diet, which allowed them life for only one more year.
Insulin was discovered in 1922, but was not widely available until 1923. Through this discovery, Type One was no longer a death sentence.
When I think about that, it makes me quiet my own complaints.
It makes me stop, think, and reevaluate just how "bad" my life really is.
Sure - it hurts. Sure - it'll never go away. Yet, when I look at what Type One used to be, my life isn't all that painful after all!
