He may never understand this, but he was with me on that day.
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I will ensure he understands why you did this. And I already understand why you did it (or my take-away from it thus far). You set out to prove that, assuming everything else being equal, diabetics can do anything that anyone else can and having diabetes doesn’t change what you can and can’t do. Anyone with enough drive and determination can accomplish any task no matter how small or large if they set their minds to it. Being unlimited truly is a thing and isn’t just a cliche talking point. We don’t always have control over the cards that are dealt to us in life, but we sure as hell have control over how we play those cards.
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@eric - Just reading the article today got my adrenaline up. I think I need some insulin now.
The sign says “Third Word” - I wonder what the third word is?
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Just wanted to mention to you, I looked all over for your son’s name and couldn’t find it. So the name “Aaron’s” represents yours. 
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I LOVE how you get me to think differently. These sentences would never have occurred to me otherwise.
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The Run
I had music on my mp3 player, and they said I could listen to music, as long as it was not too loud and I could hear their questions/instructions. I had planned for the first part to be easy and relaxing stuff. No sense getting myself worked up early. I needed to be calm and relaxed at first, and energized later.
The treadmill protocol was that the intensity would gradually increase. I expected that the breaking point for most of the test subjects would be muscle fatigue rather than cardiovascular endurance. The protocol used a lot of incline to try and create the muscle fatigue.
I always visualize how a race will go. I try to see all the possibilities and outcomes ahead of time.
I had rehearsed it in my mind 100 times already - the first 10 minutes of the test would be nothing. Then the effort starts moving into glycogen use as it gradually become more strenuous. Then the pain would start - anaerobic glycolysis, lactate and the Cori cycle, CP, and muscle ATP, until finally there would be nothing left. My body would be in a rage. My legs just struggling for each step. I would feel them weaken.
The end of the test protocol would be at 20 minutes. But at this point, for me, the whole test is simply that last few minutes. It is the last few minutes where the walls come crumbling down. The last few minutes - that would be my Jericho mile.
Certainly, that’s how it would go.
But these things don’t always go as you imagine them…
I was told that I would be asked how I felt at certain intervals, to gauge if it was safe for me to continue. I knew that I could not process that question. If you ask yourself how you feel, you give your mind an opportunity to focus on the pain.
Do you hurt? Of course I hurt! So that’s not a good question to allow in your mind, to think about the discomfort and how much you are hurting.
So I had mentally rehearsed that any question of how I felt would just result in me randomly putting up a number of fingers that would allow me to keep going. My answer would be a random number, 1-3. That would just keep it out of my mind and satisfy the researchers.
I began running and everything felt right. Music was nice, I felt calm, everything felt very good. This is exactly how I had imagined it would feel at the start.
And then something really strange happened. At some point my mind and body separated. I went up and had a seat on one of the ceiling tiles and just started watching the runner. He looked fine. He was very relaxed, very comfortable. I just watched him and waited for the muscles to start feeling it.
The runner looked like part of the treadmill. The belt, motor, power cord, console, frame, the runner - it was all one unit. Everything just looked combined. It was all moving together automatically, like one piece.
He kept staring at an image in front of him. He seemed to be mesmerized by that picture. Totally transfixed, staring at that picture.
I was just kind of watching him, waiting for when it would start to get difficult. It seemed like perhaps I had not judged the time properly. Since it was still very easy, I guessed that maybe I would have to wait longer for the discomfort. For the intense pain I had felt many times in the previous months.
I kept waiting. What was wrong? Did I misjudge the time that much? When will it start to hurt?
I kept watching, and he kept running. We were totally disconnected.
“It must still be early, since I’m not feeling anything yet”, I thought. Kept waiting. No concept of time. Just kept waiting. Be patient, the real work will start soon.
Still nothing. Kept waiting…
At some point, my mind got jolted and it moved back onto the treadmill and rejoined the body. I could sense that the treadmill was slowing down and the incline was dropping back down. The sudden change shocked me back into reality.
I still had the oxygen mask on, but I started yelling, “What is going on? Why is it stopping?”
The researcher said I had made it to the end of the test and congratulated me.
It made no sense to me. I quickly pulled the post-it notes off the display and I could see the treadmill timer. It was past 20 minutes.
I was totally confused. I could not process it. I kept asking her, “How is it over already?” And she kind of laughed and said that she was sorry, but she could not make the test any longer. I had made it past the end of test protocol, that was it.
Since this was a medical research project, there are HIPAA provisions in there, so I could not get a whole lot of info on the results of other participants, but from asking a few questions and getting a few answers here and there, the best I can figure is that there were maybe 30-50 participants, and the last word I heard on it is that only 2 or 3 of us made it to the end.
And the beautiful irony of it is that one of the few who made it to the end, wasn’t really qualified to be in the test in the first place! Because he had some disease that would limit him too much, he could not be allowed.
Somehow, I had obliterated that test. I totally smashed it. I had trashed the curve. I had so much left, I could have gone forever on that day. There was absolutely nothing that would have made me stop on that day. My legs felt nothing. I had just crushed it.
(So when I got home, I ran. 
)
My goal was to complete the test and for them to never know I was diabetic. I was able to make it on both counts.
After it was over, chatty friendly Eric returned.
I thanked the researcher over and over. I did not tell her the whole story, but simply said how important this had been for me to do, and that she would never fully understand, but that this study might mean something to some people in ways she could never imagine.
She could see in my eyes how important it had been to me. She gave me a hug and said goodbye. I was very grateful, and I left the hospital.
I got to my car, BG was 188. That spike was wonderful to see. It meant that I really had worked hard. I just didn’t feel it.
In the car I was finally free to take some insulin.
I called a few people on the way home. There was something I was shouting on the phone to all of them. I’d like to tell you what I said.
Let me tell you about the dot…
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Laughing so hard at this. Of course you did! Man, this is epic. I’d imagined all of this crazy stuff they do to you and you falling into a heap (because you’d mentioned falling into a heap as a possibility I think…)
Congrats. Excellent work!
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And I’d like to congratulate you too! Wow! Congratulations Eric! Well-done!!
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I agree with @daisymae. You are a masterful story teller - and what a story to tell!
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Wow, an amazing feat getting through that test, all while spiking high! Your careful preparation and training was the proof in the pudding!!! 
Your gift for writing is inspirational and intriguing, and now I’m waiting for your explanation of the “dot”!!!
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The Dot
First of all, a quick apology. This thread has a lot of running in stuff in it, and details about my test. I just wanted to set the backstory first. But I put this in the parenting section instead of the exercise section for a reason. I am almost there, I promise. I will move onto that.
I also wanted to mention that one of the great things about being in this research study was that I got a free cardiac CT (computerized tomography) scan. It’s kind of a 3-D image of my heart, created by a special type of X-ray. And my heart has no blockage.
The reason I am talking about all of this though is not to talk about my heart. My heart is not the important thing here. The important thing is what the future looks like for your little one. And I just wanted to let you know that 40 or 50 years from now, your young one can be like that too. The purpose of this thread was to give you a picture of their future. I will get to that a bit more in my next post, I promise. Thanks for patiently reading and bearing with me through all of this. 
Usually after races I am critical of my performance - started too fast, finished too slow, did not have enough at end, was not aggressive enough with pace, etc. I pick everything apart and try to figure out what to do better.
But the treadmill test was a perfect day. I would not change a thing about what I did. I was over the moon for days after that. Everything just lined up for me, both physically and mentally.
I got to see my numbers afterward. Again, I was ecstatic. I got so much information from it. RPP (rate pressure product), RER (respiratory exchange ratio), VO2, carb/fat usage, heart rate, blood pressure response, post-run cardiac recovery, work (watts), etc, etc.
I was super happy because I smashed every single predicted number they had for someone my age. Well, more precisely - for a non-diabetic my age. And not only did I get to smash the predictions for me, I pretty much got to smash all the NDR’s too. The graph with the numbers was just beautiful.
But again, I don’t want this post to be about me. I just wanted to give you a glimpse of what is possible for your young one.
For now, I want to tell you about the dot.
Picture a graph from a medical research study. Maybe it is up on NCBI, or somewhere. You’ve read through dozens of studies on sites like that before.
On that graph, there are a bunch of dots. Most of the dots are in the middle of the graph. They are huddled together, near each other. All of them near the middle of the graph.
But off to the side, to the right and a little higher than all the rest, there are just a few dots, kind of by themselves.
All the dots in the middle are close together, chatting with each other. Right next to one another. But the 2 or 3 off on the right, they are somewhat on their own.
All the dots look identical. The only thing that distinguishes them from one another is their location on the graph. They are all perfect little dots! Each of them is a perfect circle. No blemishes or wrinkles. All of them perfect.
But one of the dots, off on the right and above the others, it looks a little different. It is imperceptible to the doctors and researchers, they could not even tell it was different, but this one particular dot has a few bumps. For 47 years it has been banged up like none of the others. It is not perfectly round like the others, it’s been a little bit squished and dented and scratched throughout the years. But the imperfections are so slight that none of the researchers or doctors involved in the study could even tell.
And one thing about that particular dot that nobody can even notice…it has a slight smile as it is sitting on that top bar of the graph.
That dot is smiling because the reason for his location on the graph is twofold. His spot on the graph is both “because” of diabetes, and “despite” diabetes. And none of the doctors or researchers will ever know that.
That’s my dot. That is MY dot.
After the doctors and researchers have finished collecting the data for their study, have finished writing it and editing it and have had it peer-reviewed and submitted and published - when they are all done and they are smiling and shaking each other’s hands, and congratulating one another for their collective brilliance - finally the study will be put away. Eventually it will be forgotten.
But years from now, one thing will always remain. On that graph, that is MY dot. That will always be my dot.
After the test, everyone I talked to that day heard me tell them that same thing. Over and over I said it. That is MY dot.
You go through life with diabetes, and much of what you do will contain a partial mixture of these two things - a combination of “despite” diabetes and “because” of diabetes.
One day it might be, “I cut my yard despite diabetes”. On another day it might be, “I ate healthy because of diabetes”. Generally it will be a partial mix of the two. And on really good days, it will be neither.
It does not matter what their mixture of despite and because is - all of one, all of the other, a combination of both, or neither one.
No matter what mixture of despite and because makes up their dot on any given day, the important thing is that they have a complete circle - a full dot - every day. A full dot means a full day. Nothing left out. They did it all - neither despite or because changing a thing. That is a good day.
And the other important thing is that one day they will find themselves on whichever “graph” they choose to be. In a location on that graph that makes them happy. Despite and because, working together side-by-side to make up their dot and put it on their chosen graph.
A complete dot that looks like any of the others, and up on any graph they choose. That is what I wish for all of them.
Because one day I want all of them to say the same thing I did, with just as much enthusiasm and joy as I had on that day. I want them all to say, “That is MY dot!”.
And nothing would make me happier than for them to show me their chosen graph one day, point to it and tell me personally, “That is MY dot!”.
Thanks for staying with me through all of this. My next post will be the first word.
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I know I’m a little late, but that’s just how I’m doing things these days. But I’ve just caught up with everything through “Test Day”, and you’re making me want to go out and do something great. I absolutely, from the bottom of my heart, agree that you really know how to tell a story and that your writing is incredible, but really, @Eric, your story doesn’t need any flare. You’ve taken diabetes, robbed it of the robe of fear its wrapped in, and told it to take a seat. And to do so quietly. The coolest part is that it’s what you do with your diabetes everyday. Just sit down and be quiet. I’ll deal with you later.
Seriously……. feels like crossing a room with 1,000 thumb tacks thrown across the floor. In blindfold. And with hemophilia.
A testament to your mental and emotional strength…
That’s a lot of good company you were keeping there.
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There is so much in here for diabetes, for running, and for life.
You know my dad is long gone, @Eric, but he was a runner and a thinker and a coach–just like you are. I wish he could read this. He’d really enjoy it…
then would start training for a race he would invite you to without telling you it was a race. 
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You made this a tear jerker… You should warn people, Eric.
This is beautiful.
And this is even more beautiful.
And this will happen. Thank you for this. It’s already having a positive effect… 
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@Eric, what an extraordinary project, result and story.
You put some tears in my eyes you big SOB.
And your writing is magnificent. Truly a text of beauty: tight, intense, deep, revelating. But your heart is even a 1000 times better than your writing 
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Wow, diabetes in one statement!! So true. This is a great way to explain it esp to the young ones. It should be mandatory introduction by all endos to newly diagnosed T1s! Instead of what most of us probably received, all negative. To start out knowing one can achieve and accomplish anything with hard work and desire when newly diagnosed can save years of torment and damage. This is a wonderful outlook. Your portrayal of the Dot is cartoon-like, simple enough for each of us to understand, and making it ideal for kids and adults alike to relate!
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First Word
Thank you so much everyone for the very kind and positive replies and feedback you are giving me. You are all very kind. I blush reading these things. 
The irony of all of this, is that to the researchers and doctors, this is a heart study. But with all their brilliance, they will never truly understand how wonderful this whole escapade has been for my heart. 
Let’s get to that first word…
I know that sometimes there is a lot on diabetes we disagree on, based on our own unique experiences. So I want to stick to facts here. I hope that facts about my personal perspective and my experience with this test can help give you that first word.
I also know that the daily problems and issues that you have to deal with as parents are agonizing. I can’t do much to help you with the day-to-day. And I know the disease can be frustrating and having to deal with all the daily issues is deeply troubling for you.
And what is always underlying that daily frustration is the fear about what tomorrow will look like for your little person. But as I posted very early at the top of this thread, what I wanted to do here is help you with your outlook for what tomorrow looks like.
So let me start with a bit of perspective. Nothing but facts.
First thing…
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I was diagnosed toward the tail end of the Diabetes Dark Ages. It was the very early 70’s. Many years before anything useful became available for treatment.
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When I was diagnosed I was basically given a prolonged death sentence. Try to make it to age 40. Good luck to you. That was the prospect.
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No Google, no internet. We got a “Diabetes Forecast” magazine once a month. It would have articles like “Cleaning your insulin vial with an alcohol swab”, and other incredibly useless things. Not a whole lot of practical stuff in there. You could go to the library and find a medical reference book from the 40’s or 50’s. If you were really lucky, you’d find one from the 60’s.
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Before BG checks, it was basically just pee tests. But you didn’t really carry that mess around with you when you went out to eat or when you went to school. So that was pretty much just for home use. And all it did was tell you a rough estimate of what your BG was several hours ago. Certainly didn’t tell you how much to change your dosage at night or for meals. It was a total crapshoot.
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The first home glucose meters did not come out until about 10 years after I was diagnosed. But you didn’t really get a lot of strips early on - I think 2 tests per day. And the first meters were incredibly inaccurate and more of a novelty item. Useless for treatment until a few years later. So it wasn’t until about 15 years after my diagnosis when it became a useful tool. So basically 15 years without home BG checks.
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The first opportunity I had to use insulin that was made from recombinant DNA was about 11 years after diagnosis. Before that the only insulin I had was made from animal pancreases. So I had 11 years using nothing but animal insulin.
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I don’t remember when I had my first A1C test. It took a while after its initial development before it became a standard procedure for diabetics. I asked my mom and she said she didn’t think it was until I was an upper-classman in high school before I had my first A1C. So let’s say 12 to 13 years of diabetes before I got an A1C test.
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The first opportunity I had to use rapid insulin was…are you sitting down? It was 24 years after diagnosis. Before that, I was basically using what is like the current $20 slow insulin they sell at Walmart now. So 24 years without a rapid insulin.
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Ha! I just gotta say it again! 24 years before I got to use a rapid!
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The only basal insulin I had for 28 years was NPH. There was Lente and Semi-Lente and Ultra-Lente, but those all proved to be so crappy that they are not even made anymore (NPH is still being made, but the Lente’s are not. Lente basically used the same physicochemical technique as NPH, just a different sized crystal.) NPH was developed in the 1920’s. It was the introduction of Lantus in the year 2000 that gave me a new basal insulin. So for 28 years, the only basal I used was NPH - an insulin developed in the 1920’s…
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Lemme say it again, because I almost still can’t believe it - 28 years with nothing but NPH for basal, until Lantus got approved! (I still think Lantus was one of the greatest developments in diabetes history. It was legitimately the first new basal since the 1920’s).
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I had 44 years without a pump.
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I had 44 years without a CGM.
These were my early formative years I am talking about here! A 5 year old!
Second thing…
So those are just facts about my history. So now let me connect it with a few other things.
I wanted to do this test because the heart is one of the things that is most vulnerable for diabetics. So just as a simple proof-of-concept, I wanted to go up against some of the healthiest and perfectly healthy men my age. What an incredibly fortunate opportunity I had to do this. A perfect study for me to be able to do this comparison.
All these men run a crazy amount. They are not couch-potatoes. None of them have heart disease or any diseases. And after being through this and seeing the results, I would not trade with a single one of them. I would not trade my heart or lungs or circulatory system. I wouldn’t trade my legs, or any of my internals. Maybe I’d be willing to swap out my pancreas with them. But now I have no reason to believe I should trade kidneys or eyes either.
And I would never ever ever trade my mettle. That was something that diabetes gave me. In running, you have the heart that beats, and you have the “heart” that matters. I wouldn’t want to trade either one.
So that is the second thing. I can state this as a fact for me. It’s just my personal feeling, but I don’t think any of those extremely fit men who constantly run and eat well and do everything right – I don’t think they have anything over the old diabetic, health or otherwise.
Third thing…
Again, I think this is something I can state as a fact. Because of the advancements in technology, I don’t think there is any debate here.
Your child will never have the same number of horrific highs and lows I have had in my lifetime. They will never ever catch me there.
I may not be the all-time career leader, but if there was a Hall of Fame for most horrible highs and lows in a career, I am a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer. Just from the number of years and the time of my diagnosis - I am in that Hall of Fame.
It’s a different era now. When I was a little boy, I could be high all night and we wouldn’t even know it. Sometimes if I was very thirsty and I got up to pee all night long, we’d know it. But we really didn’t know how high, how long, or any of that. I mean, the highs or lows were horrific and we didn’t even have a number to put on them.
I really want you to take comfort in the fact that they won’t catch me in that horrendous stat. You are not gonna let them catch me. And changes in treatment and technology and medicine won’t let them catch me.
When you wake up in the morning exhausted and frustrated from a terrible night, and you are worried about what it has done to your sweet little one, tell yourself, “That sucked, but we still won’t catch Eric.”
Review all the stuff I mentioned right above in “First thing…” Compared to what it was like when I was 5, you are all doing great!
I strongly believe that in 40 or 50 years, your son or daughter will be healthier than I am now.
I want to pull all of these things together - 1) early years of basically horrible treatment options, 2) my favorable comparison to some elites, and 3) the fact that your little one will never have the number of terrible highs and lows that I had growing up.
Am I just a one-off? Am I just genetically lucky? I don’t know. Maybe. But I don’t think so. There are so many people on this site and elsewhere with just as many years as I have, who are also kickin’ ass every day.
I wanted to mention that I have had 4 school friends die in the past few years, all of them about my age. None of them had diabetes.
Just as not being diabetic does not guarantee good health, being diabetic does not guarantee bad health. There is no guarantee either way.
But really, the important thing to emphasize here is that diabetes does not guarantee bad health.
I know that you all experience bad days. It can be horrible and sad and frustrating. And there is not much I can do to alleviate that part of your daily existence. But as I stated in the very first post, I want to give you a picture of their tomorrow.
And from the bottom of my heart…
No! Not just the bottom of my heart. From the top, bottom, middle, and sides of my heart. From my entire heart - from the whole damn thing - I want to tell you that your little one will be fine.
The reason I did this test was to give you 3 words. And the first word is this:
Hope
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Bravo for making this all important connection.
Hope is what all you parents should have for your little ones. But Dread is not something that should be in your ken. And certainly not because of diabetes.
Like Eric alluded to, their diabetes is, in the whole scheme of things, in pretty good control thanks to technology and your efforts. What also needs to be tended to is their attitudes.
I have a similar back story as Eric, only starting at 19 years old. I can definitely join him in that “High and Low” hall of fame. Although nowhere near as fit as he is I made it through 48 years with a future for many more. Attitude is what brought me here.
Thank you @Eric for putting this so prosaically. It is a testament to your positive attitude and portends a wonderful future.
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Second Word
I wanted to start this post with a few pictures.
Any guesses what that is?
These marks on the wall don’t get created very often. Only when all the circumstances are lined up.
A speed interval means my arms are pumping very fast for the work, swinging backward and then snapping forward very quickly for the cadence.
The left side of my treadmill is next to the wall. I always test my left hand. And on that rare occasion when everything is aligned just right - I have just done a blood test, I got a very big drop of blood on my finger, and I am working on a very fast speed segment at the time, and my cadence is just right… snap! That leftover blood drop flies off my finger and lands on the wall.
Here is a close-up.
Those marks have been there for quite some time. Every once-in-a-while, a new one joins them.
Long ago I thought about cleaning them off the wall and painting over the wall. They looked ugly to me.
But now I see it as something else. It is no longer ugly to me. Now I see it as a thing of beauty. Each drop on the wall is silent testament to that second word.
I’ll never paint that wall.
Here is another picture.
I have a garbage can behind my treadmill. I try to throw my test strips in the garbage can. Sometimes I make it in the can. Sometimes I don’t. (For the picture I lifted up the garbage can so you could see the outline of it.)
I used to try and hunt all the strips down and pick them up. But sometimes after my run I’d be too tired to do that, and the strips ended up all over the floor. So I stopped picking them up. Not it’s just art. It grows a little bit each week.
I don’t think anybody is driven to have good BG just because they relish the thrill and excitement of having good BG. Having good BG isn’t what drives a person. I can’t think of a single person on this site who goes after their BG with fervor and joy because they embrace that activity.
It’s just something that needs to get done to allow a person to fully pursue the thing which they love.
There are a lot of different people here who represent this ideal. And I can’t reference them all, there are so many here. So I just want to reference a few of them who I have personally interacted with a bit. A few people I know now, and who demonstrate that word so well.
There is a young woman here who everyone knows and loves. She is our swimming friend.
She did not decide one day to start trying to have perfect BG for 2 hours in the afternoon 4 times per week, simply because it seemed like it would be something she might want to try - to pursue good BG just for the sake of having good BG.
No, it was her dedication to swimming that drove her to do that. She loves to swim, and she began working hard to make sure that diabetes would not get in her way.
Her swimming thread is an incredible testament to that second word. The distance she has traveled since her beginning is inspirational.
There are a several young women here who have posted their excitement and love of running. They have shared the adjustments and things they have done to enable them to pursue their sport without fear. It is not love of good BG that drives them. It is clearly their zest for running that drives them to continually monitor, adjust, and improve.
Anyone who reads their posts can’t help but be enamored with their unstoppable pursuit.
If you ever have a chance, ask them to compare how were doing before running became a big part of their life, and after.
Their posts are compelling. And each mile they log on the road gives utterance to that second word.
There is a gentleman on our site who enjoys playing hockey, and enjoys humbling the younger fellows with his skills. As he refers to it, he plays with “the old guys”.
He has a tremendous diabetes routine to be able to participate in that incredibly demanding sport. The impact that hockey makes on a person’s BG is incredibly challenging. And you can’t test or take carbs while you are playing.
His approach is phenomenal. He does it without a pump, he uses his own homemade mix of 1/2 Powerade and 1/2 water during the games. He is a diabeast.
What drove him to do that? Not his love of good BG, but his love of the sport. Clearly it is his devotion to his sport that drives him in this regard. Diabetes is nothing but a bug on his windshield as he speeds ahead. He has it too. He has that word.
There is a young woman here who has begun researching and pursuing her ancestry. I saw so much pure joy from her when she discussed it and shared her recent success.
In all the conversations we have previously had, I never once saw diabetes disappear from her like it did on that one particular day. It was just gone. It was wonderful to see.
There is another gentlemen here who has shared a bit about his career. Something that requires an incredibly steady hand, working in a very confined space with so much precision and detail. He was able to do that his whole professional life. I can’t even begin to comprehend what it takes to be able to do such exacting work. And to do it on another person!
And I can only imagine how he had to put diabetes away to be able to pursue it.
There are so many wonderful people here on FUD who exemplify it every day.
The second word is:
Passion
You can’t give your child their passion for something. You can’t tell them what it is. It just doesn’t work that way.
All you can do is help them find it. Help them look and explore and discover. And when they have found it, you help them unlock it. You help them to pursue it.
Once they have discovered it, you only have to get out of their way and watch what it does for them.
It does not need to be a sport. It can be something in academics - science, math, literature. It can be music, or art, or drama. Anything of interest to them. There is no limit to the possibilities.
Their passion for something will free them from the disease. As they pursue that thing which they are passionate about, they will make sure the disease takes a backseat. They will ensure that nothing stands in their way.
They may not discover it when they are young. It may take a while. Maybe when they are a young adult. For many people it just takes patience and the right circumstances before they find it. Many don’t find it until they are older.
It is not always easy to find. But once it is unlocked, a person’s passion for something is one of the most liberating things they can ever experience. Their passion for something will set them free.
Help them find the one thing in their life that makes them hate to go to bed at night because they have to stop doing it. The one thing that makes them look forward to waking up the next morning so they can start doing it again.
The one thing in their life that will make diabetes disappear, if only for short little bits at a time.
As much as you can, at every opportunity, just try to help them find their passion.
Diabetes comes like a thief-in-the-night. Maybe in one night, or maybe over the course of days, or over the course of weeks. And when the thief leaves, you have had your pocket picked of any sense of freedom. It leaves you helpless. You are under its thumb.
Rightfully so, you think that your beta and alpha cells have been taken, and for what? Something was taken from you and you got nothing in return. It seems to be such a one-sided deal.
What kind of deal was this? It took this from me, what did I get? I got nothing in return. It took so much from me and I got nothing.
You don’t realize this, but the trade-in starts soon after. It just takes a very long time to collect. And it will take you even longer to realize what the trade was. Years at least. Most likely decades. And some people may never fully realize what they got from the trade.
You don’t realize the redemption, but it starts and it builds. And you may never fully understand the deal.
You received a trade for those cells. And even if you never fully grasp it, you got something.
If you are lucky, after a very long time and a life well-lived, with a lot of hard work… a LOT of hard work…you are able to look back and realize what you got. You look back at what you did, and what you came through, and all that you were able to accomplish.
One day, after many many years, if everything shines right, you laugh at the disease. You laugh because you realize how much you ripped it off in the trade. How much you got.
So what? You took some of my cells. What did I get?
- determination
- dedication
- persistence
- endurance
- creativity
- dauntlessness
- courage
- resilience
- perseverance
- toughness
- fortitude
- compassion
- problem-solving
- boldness
- love for others
- stubbornness
- grit
- flexibility
- caring
- guts
You gave me heart…
That is a hell of a trade my friends. Yes, it takes a lifetime to fully collect. I know it is not an easy trade to make. Nobody would ever want to make that trade.
But when you look at all you got, you realize - that was one hell of a trade.
And of all the words I listed above, there is one word that starts them all. It plants the seeds, it cultivates each one. It tends to them, it helps them all grow.
Passion
Help them find their passion.
One word left…
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Wow, this is so well written and so true. My thoughts have run along a similar vein for some time, but I could not quite understand my feeling, til you put words to them. You are right. Passion is needed to accomplish our desires. For me, I run for improved health, yes, but also because I love running and the outdoors. Likewise, I work at keeping my BGs stable so that I CAN run!! They are intertwined, just as you say!!
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