A New Perspective

I've had diabetes for 10 1/2 years and have kept up with d-blogs and diabetic literature, and never have I come across an individual who views their diabetes in such a way as Sean Busby, founder of Riding on Insulin and Olympian in training. In this article, Sean describes his relationship with his diabetes:

"I try to think of my diabetes as a best friend, meaning that until a cure is found my diabetes is always going to be there—just like a best friend.  Sure we may have occasional arguments (just like you do with any friend) but no matter where I go, my diabetes is going to keep on sticking to my side.  If I choose to be friendly back, then we will get along much better and I will be able to do whatever I want to do."

I've certainly never thought of my diabetes as a friend, let alone a best friend, and I am not sure I'll ever be able to have that sort of attitude towards it, but I certainly appreciated the sentiment. I've spent the entire 10 1/2 years that I've had diabetes thinking about it as the enemy, as something that has happened to me but not as something that is me, and my is it refreshing to see it portrayed in such a constructive light. 

Diabetic or not, I think everyone can learn from Sean's attitude: if there's something about your life or yourself that you resent or dislike, how liberating is it to make it your own, and to view it in a positive way?    

A Weekend of Falling in Love, Again

The sun shone this entire weekend in Geneva which makes me happy to say that we have finally turned the corner into beautiful, hot summer weather. On Saturday, a new (intern) friend and I went to see the Geneva Sailboat Regatta, but were a bit late heading out the door and ended up by Baby-Plage instead, enjoying the sun and watching some young kids really kill it water skiing on the lake. Seeing everyone out in bathing suits and summer dresses made me incredibly happy- finally, some summer weather! My friend, who is from Nigeria and has lived in Rome the past five years, found my enthusiasm about the heat rather amusing. I suppose that’s what happens when you live in a climate where you get only two, maybe three months of summer heat every year. Your excitement when you can finally wear that new sundress you bought at the end of last season, so many months before, becomes a bit overwhelming. And having spent the last three weeks in rainy, cold Geneva weather, I had lost the energy and excitement that comes from living in a new place for a summer. But this weekend, amid the sand and sweat and sun, I found it once again and fell in love with the city all over again.

Carousel by the lake, and so many people enjoying the sun!

Today I went for a run, mid-day, in the wonderful, sunny, heat. The heat doesn’t make for an easy run, but it definitely makes for a rewarding one, and I’ve always preferred running in the heat to running in the cold (sorry Canadian winters, but you just don't cut it for good runs). Over the years I’ve fallen in and out of love with running too many times to count, but running along Lac Leman today reminded me of all the reasons I love to run. I even enjoyed the hill at the ¾ mark of my run, though painful and sweaty, because I’ve always felt it is in the most uncomfortable moments on runs by myself that I am reminded of my own independence and power.

What will you fall in love with this week?

A Cousin's Perspective on Type 1 Diabetes

My cousin, Rachel Zavarella, is a very talented artist studying Illustration at Sheridan College in Toronto.  She recently started a blog to share her artwork, and one of her few written posts was about the Aiming for Average artwork that she designed for me upon request (thanks cousin!), and her experience during my diagnosis.

Check out her incredible artwork, and the post, here.

Zip Lining Through Diabetes

I recently spent a week at a cottage in northern Quebec where I had the chance to explore an aerial park and enjoy the beautiful scenery from way up in the trees.  Aerial parks are a truly exhilarating experience because although they are safe and have all the necessary safety precautions in place, you still experience those terrifying but exhilarating ‘what if’ moments when your mind starts to wander to the worst case scenarios.  This particular aerial park was tiered by beginning lower to the ground and gradually becoming higher and higher throughout the three courses.  There were also 14 amazing zip lines, one of which spanned 850 feet across a lake.        

Although the park is designed for people of all abilities, and I didn’t find it particularly difficult to navigate through the various ropes and ladders, I was definitely using muscles that I don’t use on a regular basis, and as a result my blood sugars were running on the low side the entire time, despite setting a temporary basal rate of 0 units for the 3 ½ hours it took to complete the aerial park courses.  In the case of the aerial park, when you are wearing a harness similar to one you’d wear for rock climbing, I found a fanny pack (however retro that may seem) was the best choice for storing my tester and sugar supply.  Where a backpack would throw off my balance and not allow me the ease of sneaking through some of the smaller parts of the park, I barely noticed that I was wearing a fanny pack at all, but it was still able to hold enough supplies to keep me safe the entire experience.    

I’d like to think that for that day, equipped with my fanny pack, I was the most retro diabetic in all of Northern Quebec.  Whereas I may have been self conscious of the added bulk of the fanny pack in the past, I barely noticed it that day and had an amazing aerial park experience.