I have just spent the weekend in Plymouth celebrating my beautiful Bex's graduation. I'm actually too proud to put it into words properly; but I'll try.
This amazing girl of mine is confident but shy, assured but anxious, loud but insular. She thrives in solitude and yet comes alive in company that she knows. As DickyB summed up perfectly she's disadvantaged but determined. Like most of us, when we are younger it takes time for us to open up to others. And Bex has been hurt by friends in the past, bullied at school and at university, causing her to decide that people are not nice. I understand totally where she's coming from as I've had similar experiences throughout my life with the bullying even continuing recently. The trick is to surround yourself by people who accept you, who are not threatened by your uniqueness and thrive on your spirit without draining you. People that give you something back.
Watching her graduate yesterday was akin to watching Ben perform on stage. I look at these two young adults and wonder at what I've done to deserve them. I'm in awe of the people they have become. Somewhere along the line they've grown up and become the very best of me. They have taken my strengths and learnt from my weaknesses. It's a heart stopping moment to realise I got something absolutely right in my life. As I watched her walk onto that stage with her amazing Ash my heart was pounding in my chest as the tears flowed down my cheeks. I wanted to stand up and shout "Look at that beautiful girl. That's my daughter. Look at her, you have no idea what it's taken for her to be there collecting her degree.. LOOK AT HER!" Obviously I didn't as she would have been maaaaddddd! I definitely would have got a very stern "Mother" when we met up. Suffice to say I'm embarrassing enough as a mum without doing that!!
Just by chance it turned out that Bex's graduation was on November 1st, the start of World Diabetes Awareness Month. Very fitting as watching Bex deal with her condition since she was 12 has been inspirational. (Yes, I'm going to use the same word again...) Bex is completely inspirational with her daily battle with this ongoing condition. A disease that there isn't an end to, where there is no light at the end of the tunnel. A lifetime of needles and blood tests, sleepless nights and continually monitoring yourself. A condition where you can't forget to take your next insulin injection. A lifetime of hypoglycaemic attacks that strike at anytime leaving her vulnerable and weak, confused and spaced out; that take at least two hours for her body to totally recover from. So imagine the days when she has two or three and acknowledge that she's now lost four to six hours of her day. Can you imagine that? When you say you're tired it's nothing compared to a bad day for Bex. And she never complains. You would never know. This is her life and she accepts it with such grace and dignity.
So just knowing her daily struggle with the lack of support she had from many of her tutors and colleagues made her graduation even more monumental than I had expected. My emotions where on overtime as my pride overflowed.
This brings me to the ignorance that surrounds diabetes worldwide. I know Diabetes Uk does a good job of raising awareness but they still manage to enable people to confuse the two types, which in turn causes the public to believe that T1D is a lifestyle related condition.. NO, just no. When Bex was first diagnosed her dad actually blamed me for the diet she had eaten as a young child... Chicken,fruit, brown bread,the occasional MickeyD's, milk,yogurts; chocolate, crisps and biscuits a treat for the weekends. Yep, apparently my fault even though I gave him all the reading gumph I had. Even to the point where he gave Bex a dvd on juicing to cure diabetes. Trust me, do not feed your T1D fruit unless it's a hypo because most fruit is high in natural fructose and will raise their sugar levels to a dangerous level.
Type 1 Diabetes
This is an autoimmune condition. Your immune system (the body's natural defence against illness and infection) mistakes the cells in your pancreas as harmful and attacks them, destroying them completely or damaging them enough to stop producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone in the body that's needed to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. This is often diagnosed in childhood and isn't associated with being overweight. At diagnosis ketone levels are much higher than they should be (Ketones are an acid remaining when the body burns its own fat. When the body has insufficient insulin, it cannot get glucose from the blood into the body's cells to use as energy and will instead begin to burn fat.) Type1 diabetics have to be treated with insulin injections or an insulin pump, and it cannot be controlled without taking insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes
This is often associated with a poor lifestyle choice and tends to be diagnosed in older people, usually over 30 years old. Their pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or their body doesn't react properly to insulin. It is often associated with high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol levels at diagnosis. NOT the immune system attacking the pancreas; very different. Type 2 diabetics are often treated initially without medication or tablets and it's sometimes possible to come off medication with a change of lifestyle.
This sounds really complicated and you're right, it is. Suffice to say please read up on the two types and do not ever, ever, confuse them.
But the long term complications for my beautiful Bex if she doesn't follow a controlled and super healthy lifestyle are as follows:
Heart disease and stroke
Nerve damage to fingers, toes and digestive system
Retinopathy leading to damaged vision
Kidney disease
Foot problems
Miscarriage and stillbirth
So to everyone who confuses the two, she didn't sign up for this through a poor lifestyle. At 12 years old we sat with a Doctor who talked us through this life changing condition and this amazing girl looked us all in the eye and took control of her life there and then. On more than one occasion, by more than one medical professional she has been told she is their best diabetic, that they wished other young diabetics where as focused, healthy and as in control of their condition that she is. And this is totally down to her; of course she had our complete support and we worked together as a family to help her learn her new lifestyle; it does actually affect the whole family and we all had to learn how to live with this condition. I was the one getting up throughout the night to do bloodtests and deal with her hypoglycaemic attacks, took her for her check ups, learnt to read the food labels and how different foods and portions worked best for her; and then gradually she didn't need me. And that means we got it right, that she is an independent young lady who can look after herself. That, as I said earlier, I did in fact get something right. There will be many more occasions where I'm beyond proud of her, but watching her graduate on Sunday was, for now, the ultimate 'proud mama' moment.
Rebekah, I have believed in your spirit and strength from the day you were born. As you go through life I see one of the most inspirational people I've ever had the honour of knowing. As I look upon your beautiful face I see your spirit shining through and know that you are one of the most unique essences possible. We are all drawn to your wisdom and gentleness, to your grace and beauty. You leave a lasting impression upon us all and those who have not had the utmost pleasure in knowing you since childhood have truly missed out.
So today and everyday I raise my glass to you, my beautiful Bex. I love you.
This amazing girl of mine is confident but shy, assured but anxious, loud but insular. She thrives in solitude and yet comes alive in company that she knows. As DickyB summed up perfectly she's disadvantaged but determined. Like most of us, when we are younger it takes time for us to open up to others. And Bex has been hurt by friends in the past, bullied at school and at university, causing her to decide that people are not nice. I understand totally where she's coming from as I've had similar experiences throughout my life with the bullying even continuing recently. The trick is to surround yourself by people who accept you, who are not threatened by your uniqueness and thrive on your spirit without draining you. People that give you something back.
Watching her graduate yesterday was akin to watching Ben perform on stage. I look at these two young adults and wonder at what I've done to deserve them. I'm in awe of the people they have become. Somewhere along the line they've grown up and become the very best of me. They have taken my strengths and learnt from my weaknesses. It's a heart stopping moment to realise I got something absolutely right in my life. As I watched her walk onto that stage with her amazing Ash my heart was pounding in my chest as the tears flowed down my cheeks. I wanted to stand up and shout "Look at that beautiful girl. That's my daughter. Look at her, you have no idea what it's taken for her to be there collecting her degree.. LOOK AT HER!" Obviously I didn't as she would have been maaaaddddd! I definitely would have got a very stern "Mother" when we met up. Suffice to say I'm embarrassing enough as a mum without doing that!!
Just by chance it turned out that Bex's graduation was on November 1st, the start of World Diabetes Awareness Month. Very fitting as watching Bex deal with her condition since she was 12 has been inspirational. (Yes, I'm going to use the same word again...) Bex is completely inspirational with her daily battle with this ongoing condition. A disease that there isn't an end to, where there is no light at the end of the tunnel. A lifetime of needles and blood tests, sleepless nights and continually monitoring yourself. A condition where you can't forget to take your next insulin injection. A lifetime of hypoglycaemic attacks that strike at anytime leaving her vulnerable and weak, confused and spaced out; that take at least two hours for her body to totally recover from. So imagine the days when she has two or three and acknowledge that she's now lost four to six hours of her day. Can you imagine that? When you say you're tired it's nothing compared to a bad day for Bex. And she never complains. You would never know. This is her life and she accepts it with such grace and dignity.
So just knowing her daily struggle with the lack of support she had from many of her tutors and colleagues made her graduation even more monumental than I had expected. My emotions where on overtime as my pride overflowed.
This brings me to the ignorance that surrounds diabetes worldwide. I know Diabetes Uk does a good job of raising awareness but they still manage to enable people to confuse the two types, which in turn causes the public to believe that T1D is a lifestyle related condition.. NO, just no. When Bex was first diagnosed her dad actually blamed me for the diet she had eaten as a young child... Chicken,fruit, brown bread,the occasional MickeyD's, milk,yogurts; chocolate, crisps and biscuits a treat for the weekends. Yep, apparently my fault even though I gave him all the reading gumph I had. Even to the point where he gave Bex a dvd on juicing to cure diabetes. Trust me, do not feed your T1D fruit unless it's a hypo because most fruit is high in natural fructose and will raise their sugar levels to a dangerous level.
Type 1 Diabetes
This is an autoimmune condition. Your immune system (the body's natural defence against illness and infection) mistakes the cells in your pancreas as harmful and attacks them, destroying them completely or damaging them enough to stop producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone in the body that's needed to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. This is often diagnosed in childhood and isn't associated with being overweight. At diagnosis ketone levels are much higher than they should be (Ketones are an acid remaining when the body burns its own fat. When the body has insufficient insulin, it cannot get glucose from the blood into the body's cells to use as energy and will instead begin to burn fat.) Type1 diabetics have to be treated with insulin injections or an insulin pump, and it cannot be controlled without taking insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes
This is often associated with a poor lifestyle choice and tends to be diagnosed in older people, usually over 30 years old. Their pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or their body doesn't react properly to insulin. It is often associated with high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol levels at diagnosis. NOT the immune system attacking the pancreas; very different. Type 2 diabetics are often treated initially without medication or tablets and it's sometimes possible to come off medication with a change of lifestyle.
This sounds really complicated and you're right, it is. Suffice to say please read up on the two types and do not ever, ever, confuse them.
But the long term complications for my beautiful Bex if she doesn't follow a controlled and super healthy lifestyle are as follows:
Heart disease and stroke
Nerve damage to fingers, toes and digestive system
Retinopathy leading to damaged vision
Kidney disease
Foot problems
Miscarriage and stillbirth
So to everyone who confuses the two, she didn't sign up for this through a poor lifestyle. At 12 years old we sat with a Doctor who talked us through this life changing condition and this amazing girl looked us all in the eye and took control of her life there and then. On more than one occasion, by more than one medical professional she has been told she is their best diabetic, that they wished other young diabetics where as focused, healthy and as in control of their condition that she is. And this is totally down to her; of course she had our complete support and we worked together as a family to help her learn her new lifestyle; it does actually affect the whole family and we all had to learn how to live with this condition. I was the one getting up throughout the night to do bloodtests and deal with her hypoglycaemic attacks, took her for her check ups, learnt to read the food labels and how different foods and portions worked best for her; and then gradually she didn't need me. And that means we got it right, that she is an independent young lady who can look after herself. That, as I said earlier, I did in fact get something right. There will be many more occasions where I'm beyond proud of her, but watching her graduate on Sunday was, for now, the ultimate 'proud mama' moment.
Rebekah, I have believed in your spirit and strength from the day you were born. As you go through life I see one of the most inspirational people I've ever had the honour of knowing. As I look upon your beautiful face I see your spirit shining through and know that you are one of the most unique essences possible. We are all drawn to your wisdom and gentleness, to your grace and beauty. You leave a lasting impression upon us all and those who have not had the utmost pleasure in knowing you since childhood have truly missed out.
So today and everyday I raise my glass to you, my beautiful Bex. I love you.