I Learnt How To Give Myself Insulin Injections When I Was 8

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of seven. It's quite a young age to understand the altered lifestyle changes one has to make. I remember my daily Complan was switched to normal milk and suddenly I had to take injection shots with my meals. My mother was very hands-on with my diabetes management. She used to give me my shots, plan my meals and make sure the school nurse would check my sugar during lunch.

When I was eight, I found out that my school was taking the entire class for a three-day field trip. I obviously couldn't go because no would be there to give me my insulin shots. I recall being very upset and feeling left out - hanging out with your friends is all you care about at that age. I remember going to my father and expressing my concern about how handicapped I felt. He said, "Well, why don't you learn to take it yourself?" The thought of taking my insulin injections on my own was something I hadn't even considered, it was intimidating and thrilling at the same time. It made me think to myself, if I can learn to take my injections, I can do anything! And, for an 8-year-old me, anything meant making it to my field trip.

It took me about two hours with my father to finally get the courage to poke myself and when it happened, it was the most surreal moment of my life. I felt free and independent. It gave me the courage to take on anything life threw at me and, at the same time, the happiness of finally being able to make it for my school trip.

I would like to emphasize the importance of self-management in diabetes. The more you rely on other people, the more handicapped and irritated you feel. Learning to inject myself was the first step I took for managing my diabetes myself and I haven't stopped since.

I finally went on my school trip and when I took my injection in front of my friends their faces were stunned. I was left with the remark, "Whoa, that's badass."