My story: Brittany and type 1 diabetes

A diabetes diagnosis can be scary for anyone, especially for a child. Brittany shares how she learned to advocate for her needs at the age of nine and effectively manage her type 1 diabetes with the help of her family.

Transcript

00:00

I'm a type 1 diabetic. I have had diabetes for 25 years.

00:08

I was nine years old when I was diagnosed. They allowed me to go back home and get my things before go into the children's hospital.

00:14

And I hid, but my parents and grandparents found me. And I was horrified at the thought

00:21

of having to take a shot on a regular basis, let alone multiple times a day. I felt really alone and scared, and I

00:28

didn't know if all of these people would want to do the work that it took to take care of me.

00:34

And I didn't know if I could learn these things. It opened my eyes to how much of a community there really is.

00:42

I had teachers volunteering to help me, and they even had to go and have extra shots and things. It was just how much people want to help people by nature.

00:51

And I'm really thankful for that. I had a dog trained to be a diabetic-alert dog. And that was an amazing experience for me.

01:01

The advice I would give if you're just starting now is to learn as much as you can, and don't allow yourself to be intimidated because you'll be your biggest advocate.

01:10

If I can do it as a nine-year-old kid and get to where I am today, then you can start right where you're at and be in even better shape.

01:17

For support, I would be lost without my family, my husband, and my kids, as well as my parents, and our grandparents.

01:26

My oldest will be 13 in August. I have a seven-year-old, a four-year-old, and a three-year-old. And even my four-year-old understands

01:34

that my insulin keeps me alive. With four kids, I can't afford to let them down

01:41

by not taking care of myself. So it's an absolute motivator to be as healthy as I can possibly be so that I can be the best mom I can be.