by Helen Moore

Created on: May 13, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

I was 16 when i was diagnosed as having type 1 diabetes. At the time it felt like my whole world had turned upside down! It was not a shock to me for two reasons: The first was that my younger sister had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was four, so i recognised the symptoms, and the second was that i had always suspected that i would get the condition, and i cant really explain why, it was just like i always knew!

I had lived in fear of my sister and her future, and here i was now suddenly facing the same frightening prospects. I had my whole life in front of me, how could i suddenly do injections every day? Would i still be able to go to work? Would i go blind? Could i never eat sugar again? Would nobody want to be with me now? These were just a few questions that went though my mind at the time of diagnosis. I felt alone, despite the fact that my family were amazing, and my sister fantastic. At the end of the day it was going to be me dealing with things on a daily basis.

It is fair to say that for nearly a year after diagnosis, all i did was read any book i could find on diabetes, and scare myself silly with some of the topics that would be discussed! It was all i could think about, and my world was suddenly not how id previously known it. I believe that looking back, i had virtually stopped living for a little while back then which is not good! I dont know what changed for me, but one day just before i started my nurse training a few months later, i decided that i couldnt continue in this way constanly questioning why me, and feeling so down about things. Here i was about to embark on a new adventure, and i needed to enjoy every moment. I believe that you can either spend every day in despair, or you can pick yourself up and live the rest of your life. It dawned on me that i should learn to cope with my diabetes the best way that i could. I suddenly felt lucky! Lucky that i was still alive and still able to live my life. It is easy to get swallowed up with all the nasty facts, and things that MIGHT happen, but nobody truly knows what will happen in their life, and you cant waste the time that you do have left.

I qualified as a nurse like i had always hoped to, and decided that i wanted to dedicate my career to helping others with diabetes. A couple of years later i qualified as a diabetes specialist nurse, and spent my time teaching and advising others on their condition. It felt so good to be able to help others, and show them how they could continue to live their lives. I like to think that all things happen in life for a reason, and i see my diagnosis now in a more positive way. Having diabetes has allowed me to help others and empathise with people in a way that i would never have had. I am now a nurse advisor, still in diabetes, and my job role is to educate and teach others. I get so much satisfaction out of this, and for me diabetes has become my passion, and something that i focus on in my career.

To me the most important thing is living life to the full. You can still do this with diabetes, it just takes some time to adjust to the new ways of life that it brings. People are diagnosed and automatically think the worst, but i want to show others that it doesnt have to be this way . . you can be and do anything that you set your mind to, with diabetes or without. It doesnt have to be doom and gloom for your future; you can be as happy and healthy as anybody else.

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