Today's prompt is I Bet You Didn't Know
I don't think there is anything you don't know about us by now, is there, seems like I've been doing book reports all month!
What I hope you to know is...
We are a family, yep, one of us has the dreaded Type 1 Diabetes, its a family affair. We all count carbs, we all think about her blood sugars, we all love her. I probably think about it the most and do most of the work. Kortnie definitely does the most suffering, but we try not to look at it as suffering. She usually is okay with most things, but sometimes she thinks it sucks. Yesterday we were at the grocery store, there was this girl walking around and laughing uncontrollably. Kortnie was looking at her a little funny, after the girl was gone from our site, Kortnie says to me "that girl was weird, she laughs weird" I told her that the girl was some kind of mentally handicapped. She aksed me what that meant, and I told her some kids are born with brains that don't work right, or sometimes people have an accident and their brain gets hurt and that girl that was in the store probably was born with her brain not working all the way right, that her body will get older, but her brain will stay like a little kids brain. I told her just like she has Type 1 Diabetes and some people think she is "weird", that girl has something that makes people think she is "weird" too, but if we think about it, everyone is weird or different right? Kortnie says yeah, she thought about it for awhile, and then says to me "I think having Diabetes is worse!" Hmm, not sure I agree, but it's not my disease so who am I to judge?
Did you know, that we don't mind if you ask about Kortnie's pump or her T1D, or her finger pricking, we don't mind if your kids want to know, ask us, we have an answer for you, depending on how old you are and how much we think you or your little one need or want to know. Anywhere from explaining the whole disease and pump thing, down to "oh that's Kortnie's medicine", or "oh that is her robot parts" (little boys like that answer). Don't stare and whisper. One time when Anastasia was little, she saw a black man, she was maybe 2, she asked very loudly "why is that man so black?" I just told her that some people had different color skins, just like she was kind of brown like daddy and I was kind of white like her brand new baby sister. Just like flowers are all different colors too. She said "oh, okay" and that was that, I looked at the man and kind of sheepishly smiled, hoping he wouldn't be offeneded. He smiled back and said, "good answer". I knew he wasn't offeneded, he was a man who knew that kids had questions and it was the way we as parents and adults answer them that matters.
I also hope you know that as much as we or I complain, and as much as I would take away her Type 1 Diabetes, I would not trade Kortnie in for anything. If we were given the choice of having Kortnie, a child with Type 1 Diabetes, or having no Kortnie at all. I would in a heartbeat pick having her with her T1D. If I was able to take it from her, yes I would, if there was a cure, I'd move heaven and earth to get it, but, I wouldn't give her up for anything!
Also, what I want you to know is that Kortnie can do anything. Sometimes her T1D presents challenges or slows her down a little, but that only makes her better and stronger. She can and will do anything she wants, if I have to be there to give extra help I will. If that means that I chase her down the soccer field and shove smarties in her mouth, then I'll do that. If it means sitting in the parking lot of the dance studio or staying at every practice or sitting in my car out front of a friends house so she can have a play date, I'll do it.
I also want you to know that there have been and will be many people in our lives that are willing to help, they are willing to take on the challenge of having Kortnie in their home and I appreciate them. I am always nervous to let her go anywhere without me, but she is going off on her own more and more. She is becoming independent, a lot of her friends know how to help her, and a lot of the adults around us are willing to learn and help. I love that!
I want you to know that Kortnie is Awesome, Strong, Brave, Goofy, Funny, Beautiful, Crazy, Compassionate, she's a big sister, she's a little sister, she's a daughter, friend, granddaughter, cousin, and niece. Someday she'll hopefully be a mom, aunt, and grandma too. She can do anything and she will do great things.
Type 1 Diabetes doesn't define her, but it is a part of her.
I bet you already knew all of that, didn't you.
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