Travelling Daydreams

I’ve been yearning for a travelling adventure for a long time.  It’s been two years since the last time I “travelled” which was only up to a friend’s cottage for a week, because unfortunately as an undergrad paying my own way through university I don’t have a lot (ahem no) disposable income.  There are so many places I would like to explore, and so many nights I’ve spent dreaming about travelling adventures.

Today I was thinking about how, when I do get the chance to travel, I’d love to live in another country for a couple months to become completely immersed in the culture.  Of course my mind, always so practical, turned to the problem of diabetes and extended periods of travelling. I started thinking about the amount of pump supplies I would have to bring with me, along with investing in some back up needles, in case, heaven forbid my pump stopped working, and how it’d be best to fit all my diabetes supplies into my carry on, since they’re too important to risk tossing in luggage that can end up at a different destination.

I love the idea of packing light and going on an adventure with no timeline in mind, but I think that’s something that is nearly impossible to do as a diabetic.  Different standards of healthcare in different countries make it especially important that I ensure I have everything I need to survive on me at all times when I travel.  Travelling is one daydream that will hopefully come true sometime soon, but travelling light might be a daydream that will have to stay a dream for this diabetic.     

Embarassment

This week at camp I have a group of tiresome 10 and 11 year old boys, but I was very excited to discover that one of my campers is also a type 1 diabetic.  Thinking he’d share in my excitement, I sidled up to him on the first day of camp and excitedly asked if he was a type 1 diabetic.  He gave me an unenthusiastic yes, and then I dropped the (what I thought was exciting) news that I was diabetic too! He barely responded before going off to hang out with the other campers.    

Needless to say, I was slightly disappointed that my camper didn’t match my excitement upon finding out we were diabetic buddies.  But his response reminded me of a time when I would have been less than enthusiastic to meet other diabetics- not because I had a problem with other diabetics but because I had a problem with my own diabetes.  That problem was embarrassment.  I’m a very proud person and one thing I had always been proud of was my healthy, active lifestyle.  Even though I knew that type 1 diabetes was an autoimmune disorder that couldn’t be prevented, I felt that a lot of people didn’t realize this and that they might judge me for being diabetic.  Instead of striving to educate others about type 1 diabetes and eliminate any misconceptions, I chose to hide diabetes whenever possible.

It’s not surprising that hiding diabetes from others sometimes meant I hid it from myself, but since that point in my life I’ve learned, and am still learning, how to balance hiding it and including it when appropriate.  I’ve chosen a new path that seeks to be proud of my diabetes, or at least to be proud of myself for controlling my diabetes and not letting it define me.  I’ve surmounted my fear that people will tag me as ‘the diabetic” and accepted that if that’s all they see in me, they don’t know me very well. 

So I sympathize with my diabetic camper, who ironically probably doesn’t want to be known as “the diabetic” camper.  And I hope that he’ll learn just as I did that he has nothing to be embarrassed about.             

Right to Play

This summer I’m participating in the Mitsubishi  City Chase, an adventure race (sort of like The Amazing Race, except for a single day in one city) around Toronto in support of Right to Play, a non-profit organization that uses participation in sports and games to improve the lives of disadvantaged children through empowerment and education.

This morning I heard a member of the organization talk about the history and goals of Right to Play.  When the non-profit organization was first established by Norwegian Olympic speed skater Johann Olav Koss, there was a lot of scepticism regarding the importance of Koss’ goal to bring used sports equipment to children in third world countries.  Issues such as AIDS, malaria and political unrest were deemed much more important, but what people didn’t realize was the value of using sports and games to educate and empower.  Right to Play identified citizens of developing nations as not just mouths to feed, but as people.  People that deserved the right to be nurtured and educated.

Why do I support Right to Play? My whole life I have been given the right to play any sport or activity that I’ve shown interest in.  I’ve flirted with ballet, jazz, figure skating and tennis lessons.  Through school I’ve had the opportunity to play on badminton, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track teams.  I’ve competitively played soccer and basketball.  Through all my experiences in sport activities, I’ve developed and enhanced important qualities that are applicable in all areas of my life.  As captain of my basketball team I enhanced my leadership skills, learned how to diffuse confrontation and was given the chance to inspire and motivate my peers.  As one of the weakest players on my volleyball team, I worked on my discipline and perseverance in refining my skills, and gained a new appreciation for the importance of practice. In general, sports have allowed me to appreciate teamwork and communication.

All the skills that sports have taught me are only a few examples of the many different life skills that sports can teach.  But aside from all the social and educational benefits of sports, they are fun.  And everyone deserves a little fun.  Everyone deserves the right to play.   

Even a dollar can help enroll one child in a week of sports activities.  Donate to Right to Play by following this link http://righttoplay.akaraisin.com/Pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=3716&pid=575670&mid=9