I wish people knew that diabetes...
- requires my kid to inject himself with a synthetic hormone regularly for the rest of his life
- comes with a shortened life expectancy and higher incidence of depression than the general population
- may cause my son to face discrimination from future employers
- is often misunderstood by people who do not have direct experience with it (including myself before my kid's diagnosis), which can be very damaging to those who live with it
- is frequently misrepresented and used as a punch line in pop culture, creating and reinforcing widespread myths and misconceptions
All of which sucks a lot. But I also wish people knew that diabetes:
- gets my kid into a summer camp where he can bond with other teens in the same boat as him
- has inspired active online communities filled with advocates speaking out and coming together for the cause
- is responsible for many friendships I may never have made without it in our lives
- has solidified my existing friendships, as people reach out to us to see how they can support our family
And guess what. Every single thing I listed above? Those are also things I wish people knew that transgender people have to deal with.
BOOM.
Let me be clear.
I am NOT saying that being transgender is a disease that needs to be cured.
I am saying that both diabetes and gender dysphoria are lifelong conditions that are greatly misunderstood by the general public. And by raising my voice, about both issues, I hope I can raise the visibility and remove some of the stigma surrounding them.
Check out my other blog for more musings on trans issues.
- is responsible for many friendships I may never have made without it in our lives
- has solidified my existing friendships, as people reach out to us to see how they can support our family
And guess what. Every single thing I listed above? Those are also things I wish people knew that transgender people have to deal with.
BOOM.
Let me be clear.
I am NOT saying that being transgender is a disease that needs to be cured.
I am saying that both diabetes and gender dysphoria are lifelong conditions that are greatly misunderstood by the general public. And by raising my voice, about both issues, I hope I can raise the visibility and remove some of the stigma surrounding them.
Check out my other blog for more musings on trans issues.
BOOM! You're awesome. And you wrote today, which is..."Ahhhhh."
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you! I'm glad Jess shared this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your families story on this blog, diabetes is a real struggle..
ReplyDeleteWhat hurts me most is the constant monitoring and strict dieting, the guilt of not following my diet and the complications that come with it, the diaper bag full of supplies I need to bring with me when I go anywhere. It's a lot to deal with!
I've been following a great program with scientific evidence that can help all diabetics.. my friend told me about a Doctor who had a segment on Oprah.. his website is http://goawaydiabetes.org
Have been on his program for 5 weeks.
Within the first week my blood glucose levels dropped 20-30 points.
In the last four weeks it dropped even more and I have maintained within 80-110 on my morning checks.
Have used all the advice in this program and amazingly I've eliminated the nightly dosage of Metformin. My goal is to eliminate all medications.
I really think we need to bring awareness to these types of programs, it's the only thing that's offered me a true glimmer of hope.