Laura – Diagnosed June, 1987

Prior to my diagnosis, in the early part of 1987, I recall having my first hypoglycemic event (Hypoglycemia is a condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar (glucose), your body’s main energy source).  I had no idea what it was, but my Uncle, who was living with type 2 diabetes, recognized what was happening and gave me some peanut butter on a spoon to help raise my blood sugar.  Several months later, and just two weeks after the completion of my freshman year in high school, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D).  I had all the classic symptoms – thirst, hunger, and weight loss.  As we left the doctor’s office that day, my doctor told my mom to take me out to enjoy some ice cream for the last time and then meet him at the hospital.  I spent the next two weeks there following a strict meal plan and learning how to take shots.

In the years to come, I can remember my doctor trying to talk me into an insulin pump, but I refused. In 1996, when I was pregnant with my daughter, Michaela, and taking up to ten shots a day to manage my blood sugars, I decided that I wanted a pump.  I had to wait until after she was born, but I was approved to start on my first insulin pump in January of 1997.  In 2000, when my son, Nate was born, my obstetrician told me that if he didn’t know better, he wouldn’t have treated me as a high-risk pregnancy.

Diabetes is a difficult disease to live with; however, not everything is negative.  Since my diagnosis, I have come to be thankful for the strength I have gained, the friendships I have made, and the opportunity to be part of community that works so hard to help change the future for all living with type 1 diabetes and their families!  This year, I am honored to be the President of the JDRF Western Wisconsin Chapter Board of Directors. I have also served on the Gala Committee and Event Chair for the JDRF One Walk.  We have a lot of work to do, but with the help of all of the JDRF chapters around the world, there is hope for a better life with diabetes and for one without it!  Here’s to a future with Type None!

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Laura and her family will be participating in the 2018 JDRF One Walk in Madison on Sunday, September 23, 2018. If you want to support CUNAMutual4TypeNone, visit her Personal Page. Thank you to Laura for sharing her story and setting a great example for the T1D community! 

If you want to submit a story about your diabetes journey like Laura, please contact Jen Allen!