My dream team: Our biggest supporters

Dear Conscious Diabetic readers,

I have joined fellow d-bloggers and am participating in Diabetes Blog Week. I will be posting new topics every day this week on living with diabetes. Click here to read my Conscious Diabetic Monday post entitled: Diabetes and loving kindness practice.

Have a great day,
Ophir

For today’s Diabetes Blog Week entry, we have been asked to write about our biggest d-supporter – whether a spouse, family member, friend, or doctor. As Karen from Bitter-Sweet so eloquently phrases: “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.” So here we go!

I am blessed to have it all….

Wonderful parents who have raised me to take care of myself and took care of me as I learned more about how to live with diabetes independently. My mom created yummy sugar-free treats before companies began making them, and my dad took me to get my first glucometer. They walked all over Madrid with me to find a Tab back in the 80s before Diet Coke. They had the wisdom to send me to diabetes camp where I learned to inject insulin for the first time on my own. And they also knew that I would be just fine and encouraged me to travel the globe by myself, live solo in NYC, Morocco, and Israel, and follow my dreams.

An amazing husband who accepts and loves me as I am – pump, tubing, glucometer, test strips, doctors appointments, dietary needs, lows, highs, and all. He is always here for me when I need him, and when I don’t know that I need him. He’s patient when I go low and when I may not be the kindest person to be around. He knows the right thing to say to keep me on track and knows when to allow me to cheat.

My older brother was there for me during some of my worst times and gave me tons of emotional support. He’s always been flexible when I need to go and grab a bite to eat or stop to check my sugars. And he takes interest in learning about the disease, my diet, and how I take care of myself. My mom tells me that he wanted to be a doctor when I was first diagnosed at age 3.

Friends. I think of one friend in particular when writing this entry. She was around during the days when I wasn’t sure if I’d ever fall in love or be able to have children. And she listened. And she cared. And she encouraged me. And she provided me with words that let me know that I wasn’t alone, that I am normal, and that there are plenty of ways to make your dreams come true.

I have a great doctor. We call him Dr. W on this blog. He’s approachable and has really improved my diabetic care. I’ve reached a 6.5 A1C under his care. I’ve cured myself of any remnants of kidney disease and been taken off of two medications that I just didn’t need. He thought to test me for Celiac and now I know to eat a gluten-free diet. He has taught me to be flexible about carbohydrate counting – thinking about the food and how it reacts in my body rather than being pedantic about counting numbers.

I am truly grateful for all of the support I’ve received over the years for living a truly fulfilling life and thriving with diabetes. This entry’s for you. Thank you.