Bravery

In the past couple of months, there’s been tons of controversy over the whole Caitlin Jenner situation and the Woman of the Year title. Now, I am in noooo way commenting on that at all. I just think it’s funny how people take their difference stances on it. Some people are calling her “brave” and others are saying she just wants attention. That got me thinking about what it meant to actually be brave.

Bravery: brae-ver-ee; noun Courageous behavior or character. Synonyms: courage, valor, nerve, daring, fearlessness, audacity, boldness, heroism

Diabetics, now they’re brave. We wake up each day knowing that if we don’t do what we need to do- we could die that day. A positive outlook? Ehh no, not when worded like that but also a very truthful outlook. We all know that each and every single day- we have to do certain things. Test, shots, eat right, exercise, don’t over indulge, drink water, etc. And straying too far from this path (or whichever path your Dr. has deemed correct for you) – can result in baaad news. That’s bravery.

For you non-betics, it can be really scary. The whole disease is scary but then add in all the factors that you can’t control. Obviously, if you eat a candy bar and don’t bolus for it- yes your sugar will go up. And in my opinion, it’s your fault. I’m not perfect. I don’t always remember to bolus when I should, and sometimes I don’t carb count how I should. I get it. Really. But as I’ve talked about before- sometimes there are numbers that betics just can’t explain! That’s when it’s scariest to me.

I remember when I was young, I’d think about what kind of day I would have when I woke up. And a large portion of what, in my little mind, would make it a good day or not- was what kind of blood sugars I would have, and how many shots I’d have to do. Looking back diabetes defined a lot of my childhood sadly.

My point is, whether or not you think Caitlin Jenner is brave, and whether or not you throw that word around like a volleyball- just think:

You want to see bravery? Look in the face of a T1D child each morning when they wake up. Look in their face before they go to school each day or before they head to a friend’s birthday party. That’s true and honest bravery. That’s bravery because they have no other choice. That’s bravery with the intent to survive. That’s the life of a T1D.

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