A Guest Post by T1D Lee Hawley

My story (as all of ours is) has its’ own unique timeline, frustration, learning curve, and joy. It “officially” started September 5th, 2012. I was 32 at the time and my wife and I just welcomed our first child into our family two weeks prior. My weight loss at the time of diagnoses was 25 pounds lighter than I typical. At that point, I was starting to look about the same weight as my newborn son! Yikes.

Type I Diabetes is truly a family disease but should not limit you to living. 

I have always been (and remain) extremely active and heavily involved in athletics and anything outdoors. My title is that of father, husband, coach, and teacher. As a high school Biology teacher, my background knowledge of biomolecules (carbs, starches etc) enabled me to limit the initial learning curve of carb counting and the impact of insulin response in regards to food intake.

Fast forward to today and I am currently a pump user and an occasional cgm-er. I primarily use the CGM system during strenuous athletic activity, sleep, and hunting. I enjoy analyzing the trends in my blood sugar response prior to, during, and after these types of activities so that I am better informed for the future.

Type I Diabetes is truly a family disease but should not limit you to living. Accept help from others, get involved, follow a blog, and be yourself.