Into the Woods - My Diagnosis Story

Growing up with a Type 1 father, "diabetes" was just a word to me. The strong smell of insulin is the first thing I think of when people talk about sense memory. I didn't know much about diabetes other than, "Okay, if Dad starts acting kinda weird, get him some orange juice." Every injection he took before meals was as normal to me as eating the meal itself.I don't think I ever worried about developing diabetes, myself. No doctor ever expressed their concerns, even though that was always the first thing I'd bring up when asked about family medical history. Once I got through college and entered my mid-20s without any signs of "juvenile diabetes," I figured I was out of the woods.Then I met Gardiner, and I had front row tickets to his diabetes journey. I was the first to hear that his dentist recommended he get checked after his breath smelled sweet. I watched him drop a ton of weight (though it wasn't completely unexpected). I sat with him through multiple finger pricks and bloody…