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<blockquote data-quote="Dana_Heath" data-source="post: 1062186" data-attributes="member: 270773"><p>Hey, I'm Dana and this March will mark being diabetic for 10 years. I aim to inspire people, and I hope my story could help you- I get that it probably wont, but having the chance to share it kinda makes me feel excited. Ok... Here we go:</p><p></p><p>On the 9th of March 2006, I was a very poorly 7 year old. My parents figured <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>something was wrong with me</strong></span> when I could down one of those water bottles (that are about the size of a large baby) and not need to go to the toilet afterwards. So we went to the local doctors, who immediately referred me to the hospital where they told me I had diabetes and then kept me wired up to god knows how many machines for a week. When they let me out, the first thing I wanted to do was go to school and see all my friends.. but I had to stay at home for 2 months with daily visits from the nurse and phone calls every morning.</p><p></p><p>When I was finally allowed to go to school, I was so excited. I remember buzzing on the walk there- which was only to be interrupted by a hypo in the playground. parents were <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>looking at me funny</strong></span>- had I just used a mobile phone and a pen to make myself bleed? Anyway, everyone was happy to see me- we were all playing in front of our parents whilst we were waiting for the bell to go. When it did, I turned around to wave to my mum (she'd been fired from her job because she had to stay and look after me) but she seemed to be getting angry at other parents about something. I shrugged it off.</p><p></p><p>At the end of the day when my dad picked me up, he told me that mum had to explain about me to the parents<span style="color: #ff0000"> <strong>because I was different</strong></span> now. I understood I wasn't the same any more so I shrugged it off. But that was when things changed. Parents started talking, children started hearing- eventually if you so much as looked at me then you'd apparently get diabetes. So I spent another year at that school and left half way through year 3.</p><p></p><p>New school- we moved house and my nurses recommended changing me to the closer school (it was only closer by a five minute walk). Things went ok. Then I left my medical bag slightly open once and someone thought it would be a good idea to pull a needle (in its protective case) out of it. After shouting at me, the head teacher decided that I should keep all of my stuff in the office (at the other end of the school) and when my mum -who now worked there- was ready she could come down to inject me. I forgot to mention I had a massive <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>needle phobia</strong></span>... It stayed with me until almost the end of high school.</p><p></p><p>Middle School came- where both the schools I'd been to would sent their pupils. I saw my old friends, they met my new friends. Everything was ok. Then someone decided that my nickname should be<span style="color: #000000"> "Diabetic Dana". I</span> thought it was creative at first and went along with it. But, as time went on I came to realise that <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>they saw the diabetes before they saw me</strong></span>. We were all at that age where you invite your whole class to your birthday party still- and I was so excited and always brought my friends presents with whatever money I had, months in advance. But then it became a regular thing that people were coming up to me saying that they had cancelled the party.</p><p></p><p>I found out in year 7 that everyone was having parties after all this time. here's an exact quote that I will never ever forget when my 'friend' told me the truth- "Everyone's parents are <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>scared of you</strong></span>. They don't see you as much as we do. They <span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>don't want the responsibility</strong></span> of looking after you in case you end up dying in the middle of the night". Oh. And it also turned out that people were only my friends for the benefits they'd get- Free alton towers trips (disabled merlin pass +1 thing); first in for dinner; sitting out of P.E if I was having a hypo; etc. Benefits?! How do they see these as benefits? I hate it- they all just emphasise the fact I "<strong><span style="color: #ff0000">wasn't normal</span></strong>" as everyone kept reminding me. I guess I was stupid to not realise then that people only spoke to me when they wanted something.</p><p></p><p>High school came- I still couldn't inject myself. I had no friends. Everyone opened up about how they thought I was always "<span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>attention seeking</strong></span>" or "<strong><span style="color: #ff0000">faking it</span></strong>" or whatever else they said. I mean- yeah there was a few people who were really kind to me, but also they had times where they had better things to do than wait for me if I was having a hypo sometimes. In year 9 I went to my first sleepover. I couldn't believe it- I thought I wouldn't ever go to one- and they were a big deal from where I'm from. If you go to a sleepover, you're a proper girl- not just a girl. (I have no idea either). I guess what it meant was it left you how I felt if you didn't got to one- Why should I be girly if I don't do girly things like sleepovers? I don't know. I changed who I was because I never got invited to any. I went from wearing long dresses (because they hid my injection marks) to a mud-loving kinda girl. I'd <span style="color: #5900b3"><strong>rather climb a tree</strong> </span>than go out shopping with friends (which lets be honest- never happened anyway so that's ok).</p><p></p><p>Maybe this was what gave me my <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">taste of adventure</span></strong>. The fact that I could be free from all the negativity and away from other people. In year 10, I decided to step away from my games and try and live more. I started disco-dance class and absolutely loved it- and it was around this time (8 years since I was diagnosed) that I finally managed to get over my needle phobia. When we were dancing, the teacher got <strong><span style="color: #ff0000">annoyed</span></strong> when I had hypo's mid-practice. "What would you do when you're on stage and you're low? When <strong><span style="color: #ff0000">everyone is watching</span></strong>?" I didn't know how to answer, so 3 months after starting I left. But a month before, I found out there was a local explorer scout group so thought 'what the heck' and tried it. Whoa.</p><p></p><p>I could be me. "You have diabetes? ok. Well shout up if you need any help with anything or don't feel very good". Wait, did this leader just shrug it off like it's no big deal. Do it again! oh my god, this is <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">amazing</span></strong>! They don't care- I love it! I mean, yeah they cared- but not in a judgemental manner.</p><p></p><p>Camping? I hope you all have a great time! Crate stacking? sounds awesome- enjoy yourself!</p><p>Wait a minute... I can come?.. With you all?.. <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">I can join in</span></strong> too?!</p><p></p><p>Me and my scout leader's personalities clash a lot I know now, but I will never forget how I felt within 2 hours of meeting her. They were all talking about the camp which was happening on that weekend and I remember getting so lost in the conversation. The leader asked me to stay behind at the end and- you'll never guess- she asked <strong>me</strong> if I wanted to go with them! Erm- Yes! I knew one person who was going- the other 30- pfft no clue, and I'd only just spent 2 hours with about 10 of them.</p><p></p><p>Result? <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">loved it</span></strong>. We went on a massive hike in Cartmel, Cumbria. I was terrified on the way though- my first time away from parents- my first time with the majority of the people there, and spending 2 full days with people I'd spent no more than a couple of hours with. What was I thinking?- I don't think I was. Truth is- I'm glad I wasn't- because I felt like a new person: hiking, geocaching, wide games.. all of it!</p><p></p><p>I think it all kinda hit me when I had a hypo on the mountain and the leaders of our group were like "Well now's a good time to have a lunch break then" They didn't blame me, they didn't shout, <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">they didn't make a big deal about it</span></strong>. I fell in love with scouting.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #5900b3">I gained the confidence to try new things</span></strong>- adventurous things. Climbing, quad biking, high-ropes courses, ice-climbing, tree-house building, bushcraft, kayaking, canoeing, diving. You name it- I loved it.</p><p></p><p>It's been 2 years since I joined scouts (well almost anyway), meaning 2 years since I figured it out. "What did you figure out?" you ask- <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">I figured out who I am. Who I'm meant to be.</span></strong> Who and what matters most to me. What I value most in life.</p><p></p><p>I'm now a volunteer climbing instructor, a volunteer bushcraft instructor, I did some volunteering for helping to run laser-tag sessions, and a volunteer young leader for a scout group. The way I see it- volunteers changed my life- my scout leaders showed me to <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">never be afraid of showing who you are</span></strong>. They inspired me to <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">get up and get stuff done</span></strong> rather than hiding at home sat behind a screen all day. And they helped me see what I want to do with my life.</p><p></p><p>I'm now studying Adventure Sports [level 3 extended diploma] at Reaseheath College. I want to become a full time climbing instructor and live my life to it's full potential.<strong><span style="color: #5900b3"> I'm happy here</span></strong>, I have<strong><span style="color: #5900b3"> people who accept me</span></strong> and who I adore so much. <strong><span style="color: #5900b3">Everyone is different</span></strong> in my class- and because of this I feel the same. I'm not the odd one out- we all are. I've spent 5 months with all of these amazing people so far, and I think I've shone brighter than the sun in terms of kindness, respect for myself and others, and in motivation too.</p><p></p><p><strong><u><span style="color: #ff0080">Yeah- I have diabetes, but do you know what? Diabetes doesn't have me!</span></u></strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dana_Heath, post: 1062186, member: 270773"] Hey, I'm Dana and this March will mark being diabetic for 10 years. I aim to inspire people, and I hope my story could help you- I get that it probably wont, but having the chance to share it kinda makes me feel excited. Ok... Here we go: On the 9th of March 2006, I was a very poorly 7 year old. My parents figured [COLOR=#ff0000][B]something was wrong with me[/B][/COLOR] when I could down one of those water bottles (that are about the size of a large baby) and not need to go to the toilet afterwards. So we went to the local doctors, who immediately referred me to the hospital where they told me I had diabetes and then kept me wired up to god knows how many machines for a week. When they let me out, the first thing I wanted to do was go to school and see all my friends.. but I had to stay at home for 2 months with daily visits from the nurse and phone calls every morning. When I was finally allowed to go to school, I was so excited. I remember buzzing on the walk there- which was only to be interrupted by a hypo in the playground. parents were [COLOR=#ff0000][B]looking at me funny[/B][/COLOR]- had I just used a mobile phone and a pen to make myself bleed? Anyway, everyone was happy to see me- we were all playing in front of our parents whilst we were waiting for the bell to go. When it did, I turned around to wave to my mum (she'd been fired from her job because she had to stay and look after me) but she seemed to be getting angry at other parents about something. I shrugged it off. At the end of the day when my dad picked me up, he told me that mum had to explain about me to the parents[COLOR=#ff0000] [B]because I was different[/B][/COLOR] now. I understood I wasn't the same any more so I shrugged it off. But that was when things changed. Parents started talking, children started hearing- eventually if you so much as looked at me then you'd apparently get diabetes. So I spent another year at that school and left half way through year 3. New school- we moved house and my nurses recommended changing me to the closer school (it was only closer by a five minute walk). Things went ok. Then I left my medical bag slightly open once and someone thought it would be a good idea to pull a needle (in its protective case) out of it. After shouting at me, the head teacher decided that I should keep all of my stuff in the office (at the other end of the school) and when my mum -who now worked there- was ready she could come down to inject me. I forgot to mention I had a massive [COLOR=#ff0000][B]needle phobia[/B][/COLOR]... It stayed with me until almost the end of high school. Middle School came- where both the schools I'd been to would sent their pupils. I saw my old friends, they met my new friends. Everything was ok. Then someone decided that my nickname should be[COLOR=#000000] "Diabetic Dana". I[/COLOR] thought it was creative at first and went along with it. But, as time went on I came to realise that [COLOR=#ff0000][B]they saw the diabetes before they saw me[/B][/COLOR]. We were all at that age where you invite your whole class to your birthday party still- and I was so excited and always brought my friends presents with whatever money I had, months in advance. But then it became a regular thing that people were coming up to me saying that they had cancelled the party. I found out in year 7 that everyone was having parties after all this time. here's an exact quote that I will never ever forget when my 'friend' told me the truth- "Everyone's parents are [COLOR=#ff0000][B]scared of you[/B][/COLOR]. They don't see you as much as we do. They [COLOR=#ff0000][B]don't want the responsibility[/B][/COLOR] of looking after you in case you end up dying in the middle of the night". Oh. And it also turned out that people were only my friends for the benefits they'd get- Free alton towers trips (disabled merlin pass +1 thing); first in for dinner; sitting out of P.E if I was having a hypo; etc. Benefits?! How do they see these as benefits? I hate it- they all just emphasise the fact I "[B][COLOR=#ff0000]wasn't normal[/COLOR][/B]" as everyone kept reminding me. I guess I was stupid to not realise then that people only spoke to me when they wanted something. High school came- I still couldn't inject myself. I had no friends. Everyone opened up about how they thought I was always "[COLOR=#ff0000][B]attention seeking[/B][/COLOR]" or "[B][COLOR=#ff0000]faking it[/COLOR][/B]" or whatever else they said. I mean- yeah there was a few people who were really kind to me, but also they had times where they had better things to do than wait for me if I was having a hypo sometimes. In year 9 I went to my first sleepover. I couldn't believe it- I thought I wouldn't ever go to one- and they were a big deal from where I'm from. If you go to a sleepover, you're a proper girl- not just a girl. (I have no idea either). I guess what it meant was it left you how I felt if you didn't got to one- Why should I be girly if I don't do girly things like sleepovers? I don't know. I changed who I was because I never got invited to any. I went from wearing long dresses (because they hid my injection marks) to a mud-loving kinda girl. I'd [COLOR=#5900b3][B]rather climb a tree[/B] [/COLOR]than go out shopping with friends (which lets be honest- never happened anyway so that's ok). Maybe this was what gave me my [B][COLOR=#5900b3]taste of adventure[/COLOR][/B]. The fact that I could be free from all the negativity and away from other people. In year 10, I decided to step away from my games and try and live more. I started disco-dance class and absolutely loved it- and it was around this time (8 years since I was diagnosed) that I finally managed to get over my needle phobia. When we were dancing, the teacher got [B][COLOR=#ff0000]annoyed[/COLOR][/B] when I had hypo's mid-practice. "What would you do when you're on stage and you're low? When [B][COLOR=#ff0000]everyone is watching[/COLOR][/B]?" I didn't know how to answer, so 3 months after starting I left. But a month before, I found out there was a local explorer scout group so thought 'what the heck' and tried it. Whoa. I could be me. "You have diabetes? ok. Well shout up if you need any help with anything or don't feel very good". Wait, did this leader just shrug it off like it's no big deal. Do it again! oh my god, this is [B][COLOR=#5900b3]amazing[/COLOR][/B]! They don't care- I love it! I mean, yeah they cared- but not in a judgemental manner. Camping? I hope you all have a great time! Crate stacking? sounds awesome- enjoy yourself! Wait a minute... I can come?.. With you all?.. [B][COLOR=#5900b3]I can join in[/COLOR][/B] too?! Me and my scout leader's personalities clash a lot I know now, but I will never forget how I felt within 2 hours of meeting her. They were all talking about the camp which was happening on that weekend and I remember getting so lost in the conversation. The leader asked me to stay behind at the end and- you'll never guess- she asked [B]me[/B] if I wanted to go with them! Erm- Yes! I knew one person who was going- the other 30- pfft no clue, and I'd only just spent 2 hours with about 10 of them. Result? [B][COLOR=#5900b3]loved it[/COLOR][/B]. We went on a massive hike in Cartmel, Cumbria. I was terrified on the way though- my first time away from parents- my first time with the majority of the people there, and spending 2 full days with people I'd spent no more than a couple of hours with. What was I thinking?- I don't think I was. Truth is- I'm glad I wasn't- because I felt like a new person: hiking, geocaching, wide games.. all of it! I think it all kinda hit me when I had a hypo on the mountain and the leaders of our group were like "Well now's a good time to have a lunch break then" They didn't blame me, they didn't shout, [B][COLOR=#5900b3]they didn't make a big deal about it[/COLOR][/B]. I fell in love with scouting. [B][COLOR=#5900b3]I gained the confidence to try new things[/COLOR][/B]- adventurous things. Climbing, quad biking, high-ropes courses, ice-climbing, tree-house building, bushcraft, kayaking, canoeing, diving. You name it- I loved it. It's been 2 years since I joined scouts (well almost anyway), meaning 2 years since I figured it out. "What did you figure out?" you ask- [B][COLOR=#5900b3]I figured out who I am. Who I'm meant to be.[/COLOR][/B] Who and what matters most to me. What I value most in life. I'm now a volunteer climbing instructor, a volunteer bushcraft instructor, I did some volunteering for helping to run laser-tag sessions, and a volunteer young leader for a scout group. The way I see it- volunteers changed my life- my scout leaders showed me to [B][COLOR=#5900b3]never be afraid of showing who you are[/COLOR][/B]. They inspired me to [B][COLOR=#5900b3]get up and get stuff done[/COLOR][/B] rather than hiding at home sat behind a screen all day. And they helped me see what I want to do with my life. I'm now studying Adventure Sports [level 3 extended diploma] at Reaseheath College. I want to become a full time climbing instructor and live my life to it's full potential.[B][COLOR=#5900b3] I'm happy here[/COLOR][/B], I have[B][COLOR=#5900b3] people who accept me[/COLOR][/B] and who I adore so much. [B][COLOR=#5900b3]Everyone is different[/COLOR][/B] in my class- and because of this I feel the same. I'm not the odd one out- we all are. I've spent 5 months with all of these amazing people so far, and I think I've shone brighter than the sun in terms of kindness, respect for myself and others, and in motivation too. [B][U][COLOR=#ff0080]Yeah- I have diabetes, but do you know what? Diabetes doesn't have me![/COLOR][/U][/B] [/QUOTE]
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