You are a Fighter

There's one thing about diabetes that just becomes more and more evident the longer you live with the disease: diabetes is annoying. It wears you down, both physically and emotionally, very quickly and you never. get. a. break. Diabetes is the disease that never takes a break. There's never a day off, or a lazy day with diabetes, or a day that you just choose not to deal with it. That's the thing about diabetes and other chronic illnesses: you have to fight it every day. Every day you have to make a conscious decision to fight for your health, to fight for your life even, and that gets tiring. And you know what? That's okay. It's okay to feel tired because of diabetes. It's okay to have days where you just feel done with diabetes. It's okay to cry and it's okay to be upset. But what's not okay is giving up. If you're living with diabetes, you are strong enough to handle it. Diabetes is a tough disease, but you can handle it; you can overcome it and thrive in spite of it. Diabetes is a challenge, but it's not a handicap. Diabetes cannot stop you from doing anything. You can do anything you set your mind to, and diabetes cannot stop you. Diabetes will be a big part of your life, but it will not be your life. You will not be defined by diabetes, but it will help explain why you have to do certain things different than other people. Diabetes can feel like a thorn in your side, but if you look at it through a different set of lenses, it can also be a blessing in disguise. Diabetes makes us strong. We deal with so much that other people don't, and we handle it like champs. We survive the daily finger pricks and needles without flinching. While others are afraid of having blood drawn or having a flu shot, that stuff is nothing to us because we endure so much more than that. Sure, counting carbs can be annoying, but we know more about the nutrition labels than most nutritionists, to be honest. We know how to be prepared for anything(ever need batteries? Find a diabetic. They probably have a stash of them for their meter/pump.) and we know how to hide medical devices like pros(because sometimes your pump just completely ruins your outfit, you know.)
Diabetes has it's downs, but it also has it's ups. There will inevitably be days that you feel like you are your disease, but you're not. You are so much more than that. You are a unique, one of a kind human being and your disease just proves how strong you are. And no matter how weak you feel, you are strong and you can handle this. On the days when diabetes seems to be controlling your life, just remember that: you are strong and you are not alone. There are so many other people just like you who live with diabetes every day, and they're there to support you, you just have to find them. And beyond that, you have friends, family, and doctors, who although they may not understand what you're going through, love you and are there to support you when diabetes weighs you down.
Diabetes is tough, but you can handle it because you are strong and you are a fighter.