Hello everyone! I hope you have all had a nice February so far. Today, I am writing from a Starbucks lobby, sipping on a hot and sweet chai tea. Contrary to what many people may believe, I can in fact drink sugary drinks…as long as I take my insulin.

For a little recap, I am Type 1 Diabetic, and have been since I was 6 years old. After I got diagnosed and went back to school after being released from the hospital, I remember being so isolated. I went from trading juice boxes and fruit snacks with my friends in the cafeteria to being excluded from the daily trading since I “couldn’t eat sugar”. I know now that they meant well…the only experience they had with diabetes was their grandparents and their complications with Type 2 diabetes. I still didn’t really fully understand my own condition so I most definitely didn’t know how to explain to my friends that I could still eat sugar and snacks…I just needed to help my body process them with insulin injections. Even in the lunch line, the well-meaning lunch ladies gave me smaller portions than the other kids. I was told it would help keep my diabetes under control. I remember telling my mom that I was hungry after lunch and began asking her to pack me more snacks since my lunch was smaller now. This quickly turned into meetings with my nurse, my mom, and the school principal. I was now a spectacle in the classroom and the cafeteria. It felt like everyone was watching me eat, waiting to see how the carbs would affect me. Kids watched as my nurse would prick my finger and give me insulin shots. My diabetes was the most interesting thing at school that first year.

In the following years, I made my closest elementary school friends, and I began to feel normal and accepted again. I became what felt like best friends with my nurse, Lisa. She was an angel on earth and my mom and I still keep in contact with her to this day. She still routinely came into the classroom to check my blood sugar and manage my diabetes. She would walk in with my Nick Jonas backpack full of my supplies and would walk to the back of the classroom to wait for me. Little by little, Lisa became a favorite of many of my classmates. She had such a kind and warm presence that everyone felt when she walked in the room. Even the teachers loved her, they didn’t mind the small class interruption. My peers began watching her manage my diabetes and became curious and would ask questions. It almost felt like a little diabetes learning session for my classmates.

My classroom became a community of kids who all looked out for me. As time went on, the kids in my class would ask if I took my insulin after lunch, or would ask if I needed water to help lower my blood sugar. Looking back, I am so grateful that I felt so loved and taken care of. Kids aren’t always cruel…they just need time to get used to something new. Including the fact that Nick was my favorite Jonas brother…not Joe.