Type 1 Diabetes Dictates How I Live My Life

November 2007 was my five year anniversary. When I say anniversary, you are probably thinking, marriage or dating or something. Not in my case. November 8, 2007 was the 5 year anniversary from the date I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. This disease is usually referred to as Juvenile Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic disease where the body does not produce insulin, the enzyme that turns sugars and starches into energy.

My name is Billy Bradford, I live on Long Island, NY. I have Type 1 Diabetes. I was 12 years old when I was first diagnosed. I remember the very first sign that something was wrong. I was home sick from school for about a week after one day in the nurses office when my blood sugar was high and made me feel dizzy. This was before being diagnosed, so when I felt strange from my blood sugar, I just thought I was sick and had no idea how serious it really was. I was getting worse everyday, so my mom made me an appointment with Dr. Klein. The doctor is one of my mom's best friends, so we got an appointment at his office for that same day.

I met with the doctor and explained how I had been feeling, and how it wasn't getting any better. Then he and my mother left the exam room, and I was there alone. I was sitting in the room by myself for a while, and it started to make me worry. After waiting there for a pretty long time, I left the room and went to go find out where my mom and Dr. Klein were. The first thing I saw when I walked into the doctor's personal office was my mom standing by the door crying. Now I was really afraid. I still had no idea what was going on, and I just heard Dr. Klein telling my mom to take me over to the endocrinologist's office. My mom called my dad's job to have him leave early and come meet us at there.