BOSTON — I was 13 years old in November 1999 when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes,  a hereditary disease that consists of only 5-10 percent of all cases of diabetes.  It is also something I will live with for the rest of my life.

Coming off the bus that day in the beginning of my seventh grade year, I was ready to go to a doctor’s appointment with my mother, but didn’t know exactly why I was going.  I had been complaining for the previous couple weeks about always being thirsty, constantly going to the bathroom, and not being able to see the board in school as well.  I also lost a little weight, but I wasn’t complaining about that! I didn’t think I was sick, but my mother insisted I see the doctor anyway.  Continue reading →