For yesterday's prompt for 30 days of Diabetes, I was asked to have a family member guest post on my blog. The purpose of this guest post was to have a family member share how they felt about my diabetes and how it affected them. I am honored to have my parents guest post today. Here is what they have to say...
We've always heard about diabetes but never quite fully understood, until now. When our daughter Melissa was diagnosed with Type I just three and a half years ago, it caught the entire family by surprise and struck fear in our hearts for her well-being. We realized from the beginning we had no real understanding of diabetes and the life-changing impact of this disease on her and on us. However, as she has grown more confident in managing her diabetes, we have gained a greater understanding and realized that although it is a life-changing disease, it does not define who you are...if you do not allow it to do so. That's the goal Melissa has set for her life and she is doing a wonderful job of making it a reality.
We are so thankful for the strength and courage she has demonstrated in managing her life with diabetes. Her determination to maintain her health and to reach her life's goals is a comfort and inspiration to us and all who know her. She has helped us, as her parents, to put aside much of the worry about her future with diabetes because of her discipline and dedication to managing her health. Her example has also helped those in her family to pay greater attention to a more healthy life style.
Although she has helped us feel more relaxed, we still worry. We continuously strive to balance the desire to be overly protective while allowing her much deserved independence to manage her health, especially in times of family meals. We try to strike a balance between accommodating her needs while not making diabetes a visible point of menu preparation. We're sure we sometimes fall short on the independence side; after all, we're still her parents.
Our hope for Melissa is that research will one day soon free her and others from the constraints of diabetes. In the meantime, we are so grateful for her dedication to managing this disease and for the loving support she receives from her husband in the daily struggles only obvious to those closest to her. We are so proud of who she is, her commitment to helping others with diabetes and the example she provides in addressing this life-changing disease.
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