ABOUT ME

My T1D Diagnosis Story

As you might expect, I was a normal kid: full of energy, choosing fun over responsibility, spending time with friends whenever I could, and (of course) eating anything and everything. It seemed like I had the metabolism of a small country at my disposal. I grew up in Washington State, and my best friend’s family lived on a lake not too far from my house. My friends and I would spend all the energy we had playing games in the yard, swimming & kayaking on the water, and pulling pranks on each other. When we finally tired ourselves out for the day, we would hang out on their big back porch, eat snacks, and tell jokes until we had to go home. It was a beautifully normal childhood - and I absolutely loved it.

Then, when I was 15 years old, a “that’ll never happen to me” experience happened to me. Out of nowhere, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the same hospital that I was born in. And only six months later, another doctor looked at me compassionately and explained that I was also being diagnosed with had Celiac disease. I was informed that neither of these medical conditions would ever be cured - I would be affected by the ripples from that day for the rest of my life. Leaving the hospital, I can remember almost every aspect of that drive home, from the sunny weather, to the traffic in the U district, to the trees flying by outside the car window, to my childhood neighborhood where I can still remember my mom pulling the car off the road, overwhelmed. I rarely saw my mom cry, and I rarely cried either. But that day, we both cried together in her yellow Volkswagen Bug on the side of the road, only a few blocks from home. While these life changing diagnoses pulled the rug out from under the life I and my family had known, that isn't what affected me most that day, and it isn’t what’s stuck with me ever since.

You see.. I’m a twin. And sixteen years earlier, when my amazingly loving, generous parents were trying to conceive my sister and I, they found themselves unable to conceive naturally. Try after try, the hope of growing a family and raising children seemed to dwindle further and further. After trying and failing for so long to have children, they worked with doctors to pursue in vitro fertilization as a conception option. In vitro is the process of fertilizing an egg outside of the mother's body, in a lab. It could be a somewhat risky procedure at the time, as fertilization outside the body could lead to potential future pregnancy and birth complications. But the risk was worth it, so they went ahead with in vitro fertilization… it finally worked, and my sister and I came into being. Nine months later, because of the nature of the pregnancy, and because my sister and I are twins, my mother also had to undergo a c-section instead of a natural birth.

Why does this matter? Well, both in vitro fertilization and c-section births can result in increased danger and risk of complication during pregnancy and the birthing process, as well as an increased risk of birth defects and adverse health conditions for the children, some of which can be very serious. But at the age of 15, that understanding was nowhere to be found in my mind. I hadn’t given much thought to the scientific or health aspects surrounding my sister and I’s pregnancy or birth. And why would I? I was too focused on running around with my friends, enjoying my free time, and living a carefree life.

…Now back to that car ride. Watching my incredible mom - one of the sweetest people on earth - cry in the car that day, after I received two life-altering diagnoses only six months apart, I realized something heartbreaking: she was blaming herself. That’s what affected me the most that day, and that’s what stands out in my mind all these years later. Through tears, she explained that it was her fault I had these medical conditions. She blamed herself for the challenging pregnancies, for being unable to conceive naturally, for in vitro fertilization, for the c-section. She thought my medical conditions were her fault - that if only she had made different choices or tried harder, these diagnoses might not have occurred. But how could it have been my parent’s fault? Who could fault them for making that decision in pursuit of love, family, and connection?

Medical conditions like diabetes, celiac disease, and many others often have much more far-reaching impacts than just a person’s blood sugars or a few numbers on a screen. It can be easy to forget, but these conditions can also carry emotional and psychological impacts that affect entire families and support systems. They change people’s perceptions about themselves and about their loved ones. They create fears, apprehensions and anxieties that alter the courses of people’s lives.

Diabetes and celiac disease have certainly altered the course of my life, but I’ve had them (as well as peanut and pet allergies.. Yeah, it’s a lot) for more than 13 years now. And I can tell you that far from these conditions ruining my life, they have completely changed and even improved the ways I view my life. They’ve taught me that our lives - ALL of our lives - are precious, wonderful, adventurous, curious, and irreplaceable.. We only get to experience them once.

I believe in doing what you’ll wish you’d done. That might sound like a bit of a tongue-twister. But it’s my life motto. I believe that the lives we want for ourselves - the lives our future selves would be proud of - are out there for us, waiting to be discovered. For me, that life involves photography, videography, travelling, climbing, loving others well, making and keeping friends, experiencing the world, and getting out of my comfort zone. I’m sure there will be many more things I’ve yet to discover. Another goal of mine is to change the way the world perceives medical conditions, and that’s why I created type1wild. That’s the greatest reason for it’s existence. That’s why I spend so much time staring at screens, editing photos and thinking about how I can positively impact the way we perceive our medical conditions, and ourselves, and the world. My goal is to make my future self proud.. And hopefully to inspire you to do what you’ll wish you’d done in the process.

With Kindness,

David