And,
Once again we are left with the raw, unsettling reality.
Sadness doesn't begin to describe ...
A heavy heart doesn't "cut it"...
A deep sigh isn't enough to even budge the weight...
Type 1 Diabetes took another young life last night. It could be any of us really. Any of us could be this grieving family today. This could be our reality. It is scary. It is sad. It is unthinkable.
I know I usually try to keep it "light" on BETA BUDDIES. I try to add a little comedy to our days and our sleepless nights. I know that I may offend some. Please understand that I am trying to make managing diabetes a little more bearable for us all. Because, no matter how much I "sugar coat" it, no matter how many "for fuck-sakes" are typed to be "muttered with exhalation", and no matter how simple I make it sound or how upbeat I try to be... this is the painful truth.
Type 1 diabetes is difficult, at best, to manage. It is not a beast to be "controlled". It can kill. The medication used to treat type 1 Diabetes is insulin. Insulin is a hormone. Insulin is deadly if too large of a dose is given. Insulin can cause seizures, coma, and even death. Insulin is the only treatment for type 1 diabetes. Without insulin, persons with type 1 diabetes would die.
Diabetes affects EVERY organ system in a persons body. These people look totally "normal" from the outside, while this disease wreaks havoc on their vasculature and organs.
Hallie posted the other day on the "invisibilities" of type 1 diabetes.
The "invisibilities" of this disease are like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I am thankful for Joe's "normal-ness" in his appearance. His ability to run, jump, skate, bike, scooter, gallop, skip, and careen astounds us all. I am thankful for it; truly I am. On the other hand, what is difficult; what sucks; what is painful is that the very thing I am grateful for is the very thing that detracts on why a cure is so desperately needed. It takes away from all that is done "behind the scenes", hourly, to ensure Joe's safety and wellbeing. The hidden sequella of it all can lull you into a false sense of comfort. It can lull the public into the inaccurate perception that we "have it under control".
We don't.
The news of the death of this child could be about The Mahers...about Joe. It could be about any person with type 1 diabetes and their family. That is the cold hard truth. That will remain the cold hard truth until a cure is found.
Diabetes is deadly. Diabetes kills. Diabetes increases morbidity and mortality.
A day-in-the-life of mourning one of our own.
Links:
