My twin sister, Jackie, and I want the whole world and especially those involved with the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) to know how spectacular Kerri Sparling’s new book, “Balancing Diabetes: Conversations About Finding Happiness and Living Well,” is! We’ve admired, respected, and laughed along with her through the years, but seeing her attain this new level of success makes us even more proud of her!
After reading her book, I, as a diabetic myself, feel truly inspired and honored to know Kerri as a person; she has a true gift of reaching people and with such grace and wit too! I’ve been saying to myself all these years, “I don’t know how she does it!” and now I’m finally beginning to understand! Reading about Kerri's diagnosis, growing up, going to camp for the first time, her sibling’s memories, falling in love and being blessed with her beautiful daughter has not only brought me back to the olden days of drawing insulin cocktails and fighting the urge to eat that darn birthday cake, but it has also showed me what I have to look forward to and how to handle experiences I have yet to deal with.
It also made me very grateful and touched my heart when I read Chapter 4 about Siblings and Diabetes. Kerri has so many people in her life that are her “Diabetic Angels,” take her brother and sister for example. Seeing how much they care for her reminds me of my twin sister Jackie, who was also a contributor to her book. I know for us, me growing up with diabetes & having her as an integral part of my care makes my sister and I closer, because I know there is never a minute that goes by when she’s not wondering if I’m okay, or losing sleep over it.
“…there were so many nights I would stay awake to make sure she was okay. It was terrifying to think that one morning I would wake up and she wouldn’t. I became her protector, always aware of changes in her breathing or sleeping, setting alarms to remind her to test her blood sugar at the appropriate time, grabbing juice and a snack for her when she couldn’t, and on two occasions before we were ten years old, setting up the glucagon kit and calling 911 while our mom held Mollie in her arms after she experienced an episode with dangerously low blood sugar levels.” -Jackie Singer, Chapter Four, Siblings in Balancing Diabetes
Reading about her brother, sister, mom, husband, and close friends being her “Angels” is so special. And as I’m sure every one of us diabetics out there have said at one time or another, “Thanks for watching over us!” So thank you Darrell, Courtney, Debbe, Chris, and Jackie for being Diabetic Angels!
“Diabetes is a disease that affects the whole family. It’s not just the person who is receiving the injections or pump infusion sets or finger pricks who’s carrying the full weight of diabetes. I don’t know if my brother and sister understood what diabetes meant when I was first diagnosed and if any of us understood just how big the words without a cure really were. But I know that we learned about diabetes as a family, and dealt with it the same way.” – Kerri Sparling, Chapter Four, Siblings in Balancing Diabetes
Balancing Diabetes explains the true complexity of the emotional toll diabetes takes whether you’ve had it for 1 month, 20 years, or not at all. After reading her trial and error tell-all, you don’t even know you’re informing yourself, you’re just inspired to have hope and integrate her subtle helpful hints into your daily life! Diabetes is a roller-coaster ride, and Kerri lures you right into her 27 year personal wild ride full of ups and downs, tears and laughs and if you’ve ever read her blog, SixUntilMe, you know exactly what we’re talking about….Kerri pours her heart and soul into “Balancing Diabetes: Conversations About Finding Happiness and Living Well” with her witty writing and her positive attitude rings true with each sentence. Like us all, she’s had her fair share of struggles, but she persevered and kept herself healthy and happy, all while inspiring others like my twin sister and me, to do the same. Kerri, if you’re reading this, you are a rockstar and will always be a beacon of light for the Diabetes community!!
Balancing Diabetes: Conversations About Finding Happiness and Living Well is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, digital e-books, goodreads! You can find more about Kerri on her blog, SixUntilMe, you’ll love reading it! She’s also on Facebook, Twitter @sixuntilme, and Instagram!
