Maureen Monaghan
Having watched my mother live with the disease for 30 years, I was well aware of the risks and long term prognosis by the time I was diagnosed. I was lucky mine was caught early and some changes to my lifestyle and eating habits have helped me delay the onset of any of those complications. Ten years later, I am still able to manage my condition without medication. However, that can sometimes make it too easy to become complacent and let my guard down. On the one hand, I know that one chocolate bar isn’t going to cause me any immediate problems. On the other hand, I also know that the more often I do that sort of thing the greater my risk of problems down the road. No matter how stable my blood sugar levels are at the moment, I always will be a diabetic. There are days when that reality feels a bit daunting and I wonder if I’m up to the task. Those are the days I draw inspiration from my mother. She never let the challenges of diabetes get her down or keep her from living an active life.