Letter to my high school self: What the doctor should’ve said
by Beth
As promised in my previous post last Wednesday, I submitted a letter this week to the Letters to Thrive blog. The site is easy to access, and it even has a What Should I Write About? link for those with writer’s block. Writing my letter was a bittersweet experience – I felt sad for my younger self while simultaneously feeling hopeful for the future. Here’s an excerpt:
13 November 2014
Dear Younger Self,
The blip on your popularity chart peaked off the screen last week when you returned to high school — the other kids think it’s cool to know someone who was in the hospital and was almost in a coma.
Right now The two shots you take each day are long-acting insulins, far too slow and weak to handle the carbohydrates in the popcorn you like to snack on, the ten-cent rice dish you buy to save money in the high school cafeteria at lunch and the ice cream you cheat with from time to time.
This was your third hospital visit during your high school years, and before you were released this time, your doctor declared you won’t live to see your 30th birthday. What you and your doctor don’t know right now is that later on in your life, people with Type 1 diabetes will be able to test their blood glucose levels at home throughout the day. They’ll use an insulin pump or take a shot of fast-acting insulin to counteract the sugar and carbohydrates in all sorts of foods. You’ll be able to be more spontaneous, you won’t have to plan every meal, and you won’t have to feel guilty when you snack.
What your doctor could have told you as you left the hospital this time was to keep taking care of yourself the best you can — that way you’ll live to enjoy these breakthroughs.
I hope this excerpt intrigues you enough to read the entire letter at Letters to Thrive. Once you’re there, please consider writing and submitting a letter of your own – our letters help Thrive create a community from shared life experiences.