Right at this moment

Right at this moment a mothers heart is broken. She has just received the news that her beloved child has diabetes. She is cut to the quick...scared, confused, apprehensive and terrified all at the same time. Questions flood her mind, unanswered questions and unspoken fears.

Right at this moment a young woman’s confidence has been shattered. Looking down at her glucometer she is shocked by the number staring back at her.. She is confused, a little shaken and on the verge of burn-out. Questions flood her mind, unanswered questions and unspoken fears.

Right at this moment a business man has come to a stop in the middle of his working day. The symptoms of low blood sugars have hit hard. He has a big presentation to make. He has clients to see and his boss is on his tail about performance issues. Questions flood his mind, unanswered questions and unspoken fears.

Right at this moment a child is in pain. His fingers have been battered and bruised from endless fingersticks. He is sick of enduring the endless requirement of needle after needle. He is sick of being different from all of his classmates. He longs to fit in, to be accepted. Questions flood his mind, unanswered questions and unspoken fears.

Right at this moment a café worker is struggling with diabetes “burn-out”. She can’t bear another day of routine, she can’t be bothered thinking about the illness that will kill her if left untreated. She reaches for her insulin but in a moment of rage throws it away. She is at a crossroad. Questions flood her mind, unanswered questions and unspoken fears.

Right at this moment a young man has received his best A1C since diagnosis. Months of hard work, discipline and attention to detail have brought him to this point. He wants to shout out in excitement. He wants nothing more than someone who can understand the joy he feels. He looks to his non-diabetic friends and they are not interested. Questions flood his mind, unanswered questions and unspoken fears.

Right at this moment a young lady has received the news that she has developed severe retinopathy. The diabetic complications that she had heard so much about have arrived at her door. She feels that her future is gone, that life will no longer be worth living. Questions flood her mind, unanswered questions and unspoken fears..

At some point in our lives each of us have been that person. Some days we are winners, some days we are losers. Some days we fight with all that is in us, others we raise the white flag at the first hint of trouble. These are just moments in time, snapshots of our lives with diabetes.

From that low point we have rebuilt and made tomorrow a better day. From that bad news at the eye clinic we have found a fresh hope for the future. Conversely we have each thrown our hands up confused and bewildered by a blood sugar reading. We have given up the fight and prepared to just lie down in defeat.

In all of these moments we are just ordinary people, people living with diabetes. It is from these moments that we can be of greatest help. Somewhere in the DOC or in your community, someone is looking for you. They need to hear your experience, they need to know of your pain. They are not looking for long complex medical discourse, they are not even necessarily looking for the answers they are just looking for validation, the knowledge that at that moment in time someone is living their pain, riding the crest of the same wave or trapsing along the valley floor, defeated and broken.

You may think that you have nothing to offer. That you are just plain old ordinary you, but you are so much more. You are the person in whom I identified and found the strength to fight on. Your comment on my post made me feel a part of something bigger, connected, even worthwhile. Your tweet so brief touched base with me so deeply and brought a smile to my face.

Right at this moment you can be the greatest diabetes advocate by just being you.