It’s National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM) and all month long we will be interviewing family and friends of those who have T1D, and what it’s like to live with them on a daily basis. 

Today’s post is written by Michael Bush husband of our community manager on T1Nation, Gina Capone and his take on what it is like to live with a person with diabetes.

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Living with someone with type 1 diabetes has been quite the learning experience. Yes, there are the scientific and medical learnings about A1C and blood sugar levels and the pancreas. And there are the operational and functional learnings of blood meters and insulin pumps. There has been a great deal of nutritional learnings as well.

But in terms of what I have learned about what the human spirit is capable of and what courage and strength is really about it has been the greatest learning experience of my life. There is no doubt in my mind that my wife is the strongest and most resilient person I have ever met. I’m sure many of you feel the same way about your spouse or child that is living with diabetes, and you have every right to.

There have been more instances than I can remember where my wife left me speechless with just how strong-willed she can be, and how determined she is to not let type 1 diabetes define who she is or what she can do in life. But it was when we found out she was pregnant that I saw just what she was capable of and what courage was all about.

For the longest time, she had been fighting the good fight against a high A1C level. In fact, she thought it was never going to get under 7 let alone 6, which is what I would come to find out was the level most doctors recommended for pregnancy.

Her A1C was not in the recommended baby range when we found out she was pregnant. And I’d be lying if I said that didn’t have us concerned. But she was determined to have a normal and healthy pregnancy and baby. And she did just that. Her pregnancy, from beginning to end, was text book, even by non-diabetes standards.  

She worked incredibly hard during her pregnancy at exercising, implementing an even healthier diet and focusing all of her efforts on making sure everything was perfect.  Gina is also a bit of perfectionist, so that helps. A few months into the pregnancy and her A1C had dropped down below the recommended A1C level of 6.5. It was awe-inspiring to watch.

Nine months later we had a beautiful healthy baby boy. Tomorrow he turns 1. He’s walking and talking. I hope my son inherits the best of my wife and I. But if he inherits just half of my wife’s best qualities he will turn out to be an incredibly strong, fearless and compassionate young man. He has the best role model a child could ask for.  

The easiest question someone could ask me is: Who is your hero? Without hesitation, I always say, “My wife, Gina.”

The question posed to me was, “What is it like living with someone who has diabetes?” There can be moments of panic and stress, and moments of relief and joy. Highs and lows — pun intended. I imagine it’s the same answer you’d get if you asked someone what it’s like living with a person who doesn’t have diabetes. It’s all I’ve known and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sign up here to find out what it is like to live with T1D for a day.