So, everything was going down the usual route, you know? Grade 7 was cool, got some new buddies, and things were pretty interesting. I was, meeting some fresh faces, just your regular socializing stuff. Post-COVID life, we're all trying to piece things together. But then, around May, after a ski trip, everything started going south.
I started feeling sick, like really sick. Every day, it was like, wake up, feel like crap. I was all into baseball at that point, I've always been a sports guy. Baseball season was in full swing, pun intended. But I started noticing things were going downhill real fast. I felt bad, for no apparent reason. It was weird. And then came the day when I lost all feeling in my fingertips. Like, seriously, my hands went numb for a whole day. It was insane.
Baseball became a struggle. Imagine trying to swing a bat when you can't feel your hands. Crazy, right? I even got kicked out of a game because I couldn't control my hands. I went to swing, and boom, the bat just flew off. It was a wild ride.
So, back then, we didn't really pay much attention to it. We figured I was just getting used to things. I'd only been playing baseball for about a year, We kind of brushed it off, thinking it was no big deal. But then, on June 30th, my brothers and sister and I went in for our regular checkups, to kick off the summer.
We went to the doctors office, and I laid out all these symptoms, thinking they were no biggie. Like, I've been chugging more water, peeing like crazy and lost 10 lbs – we just chalked it up to growing or something. But turns out she hits me up with the T1D bombshell. She said to me, like, "Hey, let's make sure everything's good. I want you to get some blood work done" By that point, I was 5'4" and a whopping 103 lbs.
Next thing I know, my mom is waking me up at 8:30am the next morning saying the lab had called and we needed to head to the hospital. Then I'm sitting in the ER for a day and then admitted to hospital for the next four days, getting treated for type 1 diabetes. It was a total curveball. That was July 1st, 2023.
So, during that time, I was on a mission to figure out what the heck was going on. It was like, super crazy, you know? Finding out you've got this chronic thing for life is a mind-blowing moment. But, hey, it comes with its perks. I feel lucky to roll with this disease and not have to battle it every single day. Sure, it's a constant grind to keep those levels in check, but overall, I'm grateful. There are way worse diseases out there. I mean, this one kinda comes with the package deal from birth. It's not like it's some random opponent you have to face later in life.
I decided right then and there to find out as much as I could about life with T1D .
By the way, my name is Ashton. Until next time!