What I’ve learned since receiving a life-changing diagnosis

By: Erin Woodward

Hi, my name is Erin and I am a full-time student at Sheridan’s Trafalgar campus and a Clubs Coordinator with the SSU. I do a lot that could be considered as “more than a student” but the one thing that came to mind when I was asked to write this post was my diabetes. 

According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission: People's experience of disability may result from bodily or mental impairments, or from limitations arising from impairments that affect people's ability to function in certain areas of living. 

And while that definition does apply to me, it’s hard to see myself as someone who is disabled. My diabetes is just a part of me, and it has shaped me into the person I am today. 

A little backstory for you: I was diagnosed on April 12th, 2012, which means at the time of writing this I’ve been living with Type 1 Diabetes for 11 years, 6 months, and 29 days. That’s a lot of time, and at first, it was a really big struggle to adapt to all the changes in my life. I spent the first 13 years of my life living without diabetes and suddenly I was expected to learn and manage this illness that was trying to kill me.

I cried…a lot.  

Now all of that is in the past and I am living my life the way I want to, not letting diabetes stop me from achieving my goals. There are a lot of things that I have to do differently from my peers and sometimes I have to sit out of the things we are doing, but I don’t let it get me down.

Diabetes is something that is always on my mind…having to test my blood sugar every time before I eat anything, giving myself the right amount of insulin, making sure that I have juice boxes or dextrose tablets on me, showing my teachers and classmates how to help me in a hypoglycemic event, counting the carbs in the foods I want to eat, fighting with my blood sugar to make sure it stays in an “okay” range, making sure my insulin pump has enough insulin to last me through the day…

...keeping track of when my blood sugar sensor needs to be changed, debating if eating pizza is worth the way it messes with my blood sugar, making sure my diabetes supplies are always ordered on time...Do I have enough sites? Do I have enough reservoirs? When did I last order insulin? Do I have enough to last me until my next refill? When did I change my site last? Have I been rotating where my sites go enough? Do I have lipodystrophy? My blood sugars are really high, do I have ketoacidosis? What can I do now to lower my risk of heart disease? A stroke? Cataracts? Blindness? Is the tingling in my hands and feet from them falling asleep or is it diabetic neuropathy?

Being a diabetic is exhausting but having to balance it with school, work, and life can be extra challenging. Taking time to plan out meals, making sure that I actually give myself insulin when I’m eating and not going, “I can just fix it later,” was a mindset I had to force myself out of because I didn’t care. Getting help from doctors, therapists, nutritionists, nurses, family, and friends is how I’ve gotten to where I am today. For a long time, I thought I was fighting this battle alone, but over the years I realized that I have a whole team of people rooting for me and making sure that I have everything I need to succeed in life.

You are more than a student and your story is more than just words

The More Than A Student series celebrates all the aspects of who you are outside of the classroom. By highlighting each student’s unique experience, the SSU aims to celebrate the diversity on campus, amplify individual stories and empower students to celebrate the fullness of who they are. What makes you #MoreThanAStudent?