my biggest supporters (day 3)

Today's topic: Sure, our diabetes care is ultimately up to us and us alone. But it’s important to have someone around to encourage you, cheer you, and even help you when you need it. Today it’s time to gush and brag about your biggest supporter. Is it your spouse or significant other? Your best friend, sibling, parent or child? Maybe it’s your endo or a great CDE? Or perhaps it’s another member of the D-OC who is always there for you? Go ahead, tell them just how much they mean to you!

Two people popped into my head when I read the prompt, and I decided they were equally important, so I'm gonna write about them both.

My husband, John. We are totally 50/50 partners in L's care. He cooks for her, measures her food, remembers complicated math calculations, calls in prescriptions, works hard at a job so that we have excellent insurance that makes the financial difficulties related to a chronic illness less of a burden, checks her in the middle of the night when I'm too tired, takes over her care 100% when I run off on rock 'n' roll roadtrips, inserts her infusion sets with the gentlest of touches, taps out air bubbles in her insulin reservoir like a pro, treats her like the rest of the girls on her soccer team when he coaches, knows how to make her laugh during the most dire of situations, juggles his schedule to make sure he's at every doctor's appointment, and gives me great kitchen hugs, when nothing else seems to help.

The other person I couldn't do this without is L herself. That probably sounds totally bizarre, but bear with me. This kid. Man. From the very beginning she has amazed me with her ability to adapt.  Whether it was her insane zen breathing technique during Lantus shots, or the fact that on the first day back to school after her diagnosis, she rocked her medical alert necklace on the *outside* of her school uniform, or the way she mocked retinal neuropathy in our JDRF video by making the creative choice to rhyme "site" with "sight", I am constantly amazed by her humor and resilience.

Don't get me wrong, we spend plenty of moments lamenting how completely messed up it is that she has to deal with all this shiz, but they are far outnumbered by the times that we do our best to laugh it off and just get on with it.  So thanks you guys, for being on my team.