My Life As a T1D

Chapter 4: The York Family

Sorry. It's taking me so long to update again. I know I'm horrible. 

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It was the beginning of 5th grade. Everybody was excited to see their friends and meet their new teachers. I wasn't very sure at that time, who my friends were, but I eventually found Bianca and Diana. They were friends...well...at least at the beginning. But that's something else.

A few days later I found out about a new girl named Elise York, who was in the other 5th grade class (there were 2 homerooms). I also learned that she had a younger brother who was also a Type 1, like me. I immediately wanted to be friends with this girl and meet her brother. Sometime, mid school year, I started to make friends with Elise and other girls: Aruzhan, Jiwon and Mariana. We became really close, each of us from different parts of the world, even our mother's became friends.

Elise's family and mine, relied on each other and built a true friendship (that continues today) based on the fact that the youngest family member has diabetes, Grady, like me! In the York family, Richard (dad), Kiersten (mom) and Kieren (older brother) are wonderful human beings. I went to Elise's house several times for sleepovers and to hang out together. My mom trusted Kiersten with my life, because she knew how to handle everything involving T1.

Type 1 Diabetes, as you must already know, is a disease that requires a lot of attention and since I am still a kid, I need adult help a lot! Especially at night, where it is most dangerous. My blood sugar never stops going up and/or down, even when I'm sleeping, so it's really dangerous for me to have a low or high blood sugar. And since I am sleeping, I normally don't feel the change in my blood sugar, like a would in the day. So there has to be an adult that has to test my blood sugar in the middle of the night to make sure I'm okay. As part of my life as a T1, counting carbs for each one of my meals can be challenging, so a knowledgeable adult's help is needed.

Kiersten took care of me as if I were one of her children. She made sure that my blood sugar was alright, even at night. She, as a mother of diabetic, always helped me out with the carb count as well as my formula. All diabetics use a formula to calculate the amount of insulin needed for every meal, depending on their body. Kiersten, would also offer me delicious sweets when my blood sugar was low that I had never tried. Since Elise's dad worked at the Canadian Embassy in Quito, they had sweets from the U.S and Canada that I enjoyed very much when I went to their house.

Elise and I shared so much while she lived in Ecuador. We both played in our school's orchestra, studied together, helped each other with some assignments, laughed at lunch time and had a blast together! We are true friends! The distance (Elise and her family moved to Jamaica) has not hurt our friendship. Although we chat often I miss her everyday!

I will never be able to thank the York family properly. They were our angels and they cleared some many doubts my parents had about the diabetes. They have forever changed my life, which you will find out how in the next chapter if you keep reading. I am truly grateful that they came into my life and I will never forget everything they did for me. Richard, Grady, Kieren, and especially Elise and Kiersten...THANK YOU to the moon and back for everything you have done for me, I will never forget you!

PS. I want to make some honorable mentions to some friends that have supported me a lot through with my condition: Mari Lau, Aruzhan, Jiwon, Mariana, Paula, Sara, Montse, Acchia and a new added member, Gaby. A special mention goes to Sara who has memorized my Dexcom alarms (you will learn that later) and understands this disease, almost as well as I do. When a T1 diabetic, like me, finds support in real friends then dealing with the troublesome aspects of this disease, becomes easier with their help, respect, and readiness to lend a hand when needed.