This is a very delayed post...only because I have been exceptionally busy the last few days and have not had time to sit down, without falling asleep, and writing. So my apologies :)
As I watched the Golden Globes on Sunday night I was taken back by a quote from the phenomenal actress, Jodie Foster.
"Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from" - Jodie Foster
This resonated in my mind after the showed continued on and I couldn't help but parallel that into my own life, as a woman, as Mom and as a Diabetic.
I have spent my entire life trying to be anything but normal. I didn't have pink or green hair, wear clothes that were from another planet or even partake in unusual activities. I don't let my children stay up to ungodly hours and I certainly don't let this D thing get to me and give up. My definition of being atypical or abnormal is different.
Being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 4 and in an era were glucose testing was not yet, I was atypical to begin with. The only child in my city for a number years, living with T1D. A few children in my city were later diagnosed but I believe I was one of the first in my community, and youngest. Since the dawn of my diagnosis it went like this: You have Diabetes now get on with it. My family adapted very quickly with the routines, both time and nutritional, needed to manage Diabetes when so much knowledge had yet to be discovered. There was no carb counting or even food values. There wasn't even blood testing for that matter! I tested urine. Yep, that's right, urine. Peed in a glass, dropped a funky looking tablet in that changed the contents a "colour", one of 4 shades to determine where your glucose levels were at. Sounds great, doesn't it? Can you imagine how delayed these values were? It's like "thanks for telling me I am yellow (low) but I already knew because I'm shaking and sweating."
At 5 years of age, a year after I was diagnosed, I was awarded the Participaction award. I was crowned the healthiest, fittest 5 year old and I was also living with T1D. A lot of children living with Diabetes were not encouraged to exercise as it changed your glucose levels so randomly and seeing as urine was how we were measuring our glucose...it seemed sensible. But not in my life. I was playing soccer, competing in gymnastics and running...of course I was running! Anything but a typical Diabetic, was I.
Through my adolescent and teen years I furthered in my athletics and ran cross country, track, played soccer at provincial level and also played volleyball, lacrosse and field hockey. I continued to challenge the D and was able to manage well as a young woman, being very active, more than the normal female my age, with or without T1D. Countless health professionals would be baffled at how I seemed to be doing so well....this irked me. How was I doing so well? Was I not to be doing well? Just because I was living with the D? I always responded with the same.."I just am who I am and do as I do, but I also have Diabetes." It stirred determination inside of me, in a good way, every time I had stellar a1c's and was living so well. I knew I was anything but typical, I was atypical and happy to be!
When I got married and decided to have children I went and consulted with the top Endocrinologist in our area and gathered a team together of Doctor's that were going to help me do this. Again, it was normal to be Diabetic and not have children, because of the risks. But I was not willing to accept that. I had been anything but normal thus far in life and I wanted to have children. Long and short of child bearing was that I had 3 beautiful little boys, all perfectly small (between 5pounds 1 oz and 6lbs) with no Diabetes related complications and I was a model diabetic to other expecting Mom's living with T1D or gestational. |Yes, thank you...I"ll kept on running from normal.
After having all of my boys I gave myself a year of being full blown Mommy before I decided it was time to get back into it. I began training for my first Triathlon. Forget small ventures, maybe a 10k or a half marathon..done before but not since rearing children, I'll go big or go home! I found a great balance between a strict training schedule and Mommy hood/domesticity. Sure, my floors had a few more dust bunnies on them, my kids saw clothes from their closets in stead of off the freshly washed laundry pile. But ultimately, I was training and caring for my family, balanced. Oh and might I add...this was the start of effortless, phenomenal blood sugars. Anything but typical.
I remember race day like it was yesterday. I was anxious and more because the start times were staggered which meant I didn't EXACTLY know when I would be starting the swim. After chasing down many race volunteers and getting nowhere, I finally explained that I needed to know not because I was like every other triathlete anxious, but rather I was a Diabetic and I needed to know for fuelling/blood glucose level reasons. At each transition point my sugars were bang on...exactly where I wanted to be. I cleared the finish placing 3rd in the women's division and 4th overall. The Paramedics were all astounded that me, a T1D could race and place as I did...with no hypo/hyperglycemic episodes. It was like they had just witnessed gold in water.
Since then I decided that I am embracing my atypicalness or my abnormalness. I don't even think those are proper words, but they describe me perfectly. I like managing my Diabetes through intense exercise, eating very healthy (of course I indulge in some chocolate, cheese and wine when needed!) and testing a crazy amount of times per day. Not the usual 4x a day that is recommended.
I found a group of individuals through an organization called Insulin Dependence, who all share the same philosophy as me. Be different, challenge yourself beyond what you know and run from the typical ideals of how to manage T1D. Instead, we run marathons, half marathons, 200 mile marathons or compete in tri's as a Diabetic team. Setting the example for many people living with Diabetes to be abnormal and non textbook...beat the odds and challenge it!
I have said this in a previous post but I will say it again, I am proud to be a Mom raising a child living with T1D because I get to show him how to run from typical. I am confident when I send his uber healthy lunches that he requests each day full of quinoa, kale and no junk at all! He has been given the message that Diabetes is good, and yes you are atypical but not because you have the D but because you are living healthy and challenging it everyday. Treats are appreciated but not sought after. He would rather hop on his bike and ride beside me as I run, and that makes me happier than handing my child a brownie and bolusing him for it.
So there you have...I am a runner..in many forms..but mostly..I am running from being typical. I win that race everyday!
Cheers
K
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