The Sweetest Nurse
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
By: Kendra Gallagher

I fight because life is too short as it is and is too precious not too.

I was diagnosed a week before my 4th birthday with type 1. I remember my mom would not let me attend slumber parties until I could give my own injections, so at age 5 I took over giving my own injections. Life was OK until high school when I started to realize that I was different. All of the girls at school were eating candy bars for lunch and that was all they ate and they were so thin, so I joined in and ate them too. Soon I realized that this was a great way to lose weight. I was not sure why it worked but knew it did. My roller coaster ride had begun. I was ridiculed for having hypertrophy from all of my injections which only made me want to stay extra thin to disguise the lumps and hollows. It was not until my sophmore year in college that I began to realize the harm I was doing to myself.

I met a man in a wheelchair at school who was always smiling and laughing. How was this man so happy living with his situation? I realized that his attidude was a choice. He CHOSE to be happy and I had the same choice I could make. I began my journey back to self-management. I began to choose my health over my looks which was quite a contrast from how I was living, choosing my looks inspite of the negative affects on my health. It was a long up-hill climb but well worth it.

I am now living with diabetes for 34 years. I am on an insulin pump and have chosen nursing as a career. I am currently working with people with type 2 diabetes in clincs, utilizing motivational interviewing to aid them in bringing about behavioral changes they wish to make in managing their diabetes. I would not trade my life and the lessons I have learned in living with Diabetes for it has taught me to be a strong, independent woman with faith and courage and now I can go out and hopefully give people the same inspiration to choose to live life with diabetes not let diabetes be their life.