APPROVED

Finally, I have found the approval I have been seeking. When I was a newly diagnosed diabetic, from 1996 until 2000, my endocronologists all told me that they were weary of presribing insulin pumps to children. In my teenage years I struggled with acceptance and rebelled as a diabetic, often becoming very ill and labled non-compliant. A pump was out of the question during this time. At 22 I began to try and get my chaotic life on track, starting with small things and working on myself one day at a time. Last April, after my 24th birthday, my mom decided to ask her endocronologist (whom she sees for her thyroid, she's not a diabetic) how I would go about getting a pump. For as long as I've had diabetes, though I only recently realized this, her dreams have been the same as mine when it comes to my disease. This is when we were introduced to the Omnipod Insulin Pump. This doctor gave us an information package, told me to check four times a day and scheduled an appointment for a few months later. I did what I was told, kept my appointment, did what I was told some more, and finally, a couple of days ago, I found out that this dream has come true. My mother put in the order for my start-up package and my first box of pods yesterday. I made an appointment with an Omnipod educator, so I can learn how to live my new life with a pump. By next week I will know how to hook up and medicate myself with the Omnipod. Before the end of the month I will no longer have to shoot myself up 5-6 times a day, I will be a pump user. I will be a pod person. Thank you, mom. Thank you to my sisters, for helping me, supporting me and cheering me on despite my insane moods. Thanks to my whole family, and all of my wonderful supporters. This might not seem like a big deal to many people, but this is the coming true of a dream I've had for longer than any other in my life.