I was diagnosed at the age of 11. I had been losing weight and sleeping a lot over several months. One night my breathing got really bad. I remember waking up, and going to the kitchen to down a whole 2 liter of mountain dew (that didn’t help). I then laid back down, I just remember being so tired and all I wanted to do was sleep. My mom woke me up that night and said we’re going to the hospital.

I could hardly breathe as my mom drove quickly to the ER. The last thing I remember was getting there and being put on an oxygen mask. Then I blacked out (slipped in a coma). They air lifted me to a children’s hospital. The Doctor told my mom I might not make it, and to prepare. When I woke after 5 days they told me I was a Type One Diabetic, and my life was then changed forever.

When I first was diagnosed as a diabetic, I was scared. I was always a shy kid, and I was unaware of what was going on. It was even more complex as I became a teenager. I wanted to be like everyone else. I didn’t go to friends homes to have sleepovers because I was scared. I also had body image issues when I was 16, so I tried juggling my insulin to lose weight. However, that didn’t go well with my doctor. I was sent to a dialysis clinic to see what could happen if I kept doing my body harm. Thankfully, it worked because I never did it again.

My school worked really well with my diabetes. I had awesome nurses. I also never kept my diabetes a secret, I felt that everyone should know that I’m diabetic. Growing up I have never done drugs or drank because I never want to harm my body or get sick.

As far as dating, I didn’t tell my boyfriend (now husband) that I was diabetic until a few weeks in. I wanted to see if he would stick around (ha-ha). My wedding day was fun and I had a pocket on my dress for my pump while walking down the aisle. I did end up getting really low before walking down the aisle.

Fast forward to dating. I did not tell my husband then (boyfriend) that I was a Type One Diabetic until week 4. I wanted to see if he would stick around ha-ha. The wedding day was amazing. I had a pocket on my dress for my insulin pump. While walking down the aisle, my blood sugar went low. I could barely walk, I told my dad not to let me fall and that I was low. He said, “I’ll never let you fall, when we get down there I’ll get you juice”. But I made it down the aisle, and when I got to my groom, he held me up. I forgot my vows (we wrote our own). I was so low I could not remember them so I said things I knew were true. As soon as we said I DO my dad had a soda waiting on me. It was great that no one knew I was low except dad and my husband.

When it came time to having my baby, I planned and prayed that I had perfect blood sugars. My A1C was around a 4.9. I was really avid about my blood sugars staying as close to normal. I checked 14 times a day and wore CGM. I also had a pump (life saver). Having my son was good, blood sugar stayed stable during labor and delivery. After I had my son, breastfeeding was tough I would go lower every time he ate, I learned to eat before I feed him. Postpartum blood sugars got crazy, but my endocrinologist is amazing and she constantly texted me to keep me on track.

I believe we must embrace diabetes - as it is a part of who we are.

I don’t think I would change a thing about my life. I would rather cure cancer than diabetes. I think that is much worse, at least I can control my diabetes.

You can follow Shyla on her personal BLOG or FACEBOOK page.

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