02/10/2026
Continuing on with our community’s diabetes diagnosis stories, here is our VP outreach, Kieran’s story!!
“I was diagnosed in 2018 (11yrs old). I had all the classic symptoms, thirsty all the time, incredibly skinny, and irate mood. My family doctor recommended me to get tested for Type One Diabetes (T1D). The next week I’m in Michael Garron’s Emergency Wing on Jan 5th at 9:32am (yes I remember the exact time) with a blood glucose (bg) of 26 something (non-diabetic fasting bg 3.9-5.5). Next thing I know I’m in this scary chair getting bloodwork done and my whole body is shaking from fear. I remember that day too well, it’s when everything turned upside down. All of a sudden I was faced with an incredible amount of responsibility: a life-threatening chronic illness. I struggled a lot mentally, I had the usual fear of the unknown coupled with fear of uncertainty paired with the always changing and challenging nuances of dealing with T1D. Then add on the pandemic a few years later. My life became a struggle for control, and I was cruel with myself (and still am to this day). Im working on it though. I’m incredibly thankful for the diabetes community and my interest in philosophy for teaching me that sometimes the best way to control something is to let it go (Give life permission to happen). Thank you for listening, be kind to yourself!.”
