I celebrated my 19th Diabetic Anniversary tonight with a piece of “Snickers Ice Cream Pie!” We’re not celebrating 19 years of diabetes, but celebrating 19 years of good health. And for that, I am grateful to have my family and guardian angel, Jackie, by my side…its still my dream to find a cure for diabetes and i know there will be a cure one day! :-)
Later this evening, my Mom wrote on her facebook and said,
“19 years ago, when my daughters Mollie and Jackie were 4-years-old we took them out for a special treat, we took them to see their Godfather perform at the Showroom of the Frontier Hotel. What the girls remember about that night was Wayne coming into the audience and dedicating the song, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” to them. What I remember about that night was the inability to quench Mollie’s thirst, repeatedly getting up and down during the show for glasses of water or 7-UP…all night long.
After the show we went back stage to see the girls favorite ‘Uncle,’ but shortly after giving him a kiss hello, we had to leave… Mollie wasn’t feeling very well and she seemed to be getting worse by the minute. We had no idea what was wrong, but we knew we needed to get her home. My plan was to call her doctor in the morning and have her ‘checked out’ to see what was going on, but she never made it to the doctor’s office; Mollie’s blood sugar was 799 and her ketones were off the chart (Normal blood sugar is 80 to 120)! She spent the next 8 days in the hospital trying to learn how to live with Type-1 (Insulin Dependent) Diabetes. It’s almost impossible to believe that it has been 19 years since she was told, “Mollie you have ‘Di-a-bêtes.’ All Mollie and Jackie heard that day was DIE-a-bêtes (emphasis on DIE!) Funny how when something life threatening and heartbreaking happens to someone you love, you remember every single detail as though it was yesterday. I will never forget that day, it was the moment in time that stole Mollie’s childhood (and Jackie’s too)…it was the day that they stopped being little girls and became mature, disciplined little adults, overnight.
Today, I am still so sad for Mollie and everyone diagnosed with diabetes that they have to live with the pain, frustration and devastation of this disease. However, I am so grateful that nineteen years after her diagnosis Mollie is healthy! So, on September 8th we never forget the life-changing moment in Mollie’s life, but we focus and celebrate another year of her good health!
Additionally, September 8th reminds us to give thanks to all the doctors, nurses and researchers around the world, who have dedicated their lives to giving compassionate care and developing promising research. We are also grateful for the work of the generous volunteers and donors, who tirelessly give of their time and resources to help cure Diabetes.
To all I say…THANK YOU, especially you Mollie. All of us who love you are thankful that you are disciplined and persevere to do the impossible, manage your diabetes! We’re proud of you for not giving up. I, all of us love you so much and we truly appreciate how difficult it is for you to live with diabetes, you Rock Moll!
Love mom
