Today is World Diabetes Day, Diabetes is a serious condition where your blood glucose level is too high. It can happen when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces isn’t effective. Or, when your body can’t produce any insulin at all, Diabetes UK say “If people knew how that well-meaning comment actually made someone with diabetes feel, how many decisions they had to make in a day, or how important it is to see who they are behind their diabetes, it would make a huge difference” and so today we are talking to Rebecca from M.E, Myself and Fatigue to hear about what living with Type 1 diabetes is really like.

Type 1 Diabetes from Age One: A Lifetime of Both Blessings and Curses

Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age one is a journey that starts before memory can capture it, and it has weaved its impact through every moment of my life. While it’s easy to focus on the negatives, growing up with type 1 diabetes has also offered me (and others, I’m sure) unique insights and advantages. Here’s how this lifelong condition has been both a curse and, surprisingly, a blessing.

The Curse: Life with Constant Management

From day one, type 1 diabetes demands attention. For someone diagnosed very young, there’s no memory of life without insulin injections, blood glucose checks, or carbohydrate scrutiny. Every meal, activity, and stressor requires careful monitoring and a delicate balance of blood sugar levels.

Physically, diabetes can be exhausting. There are the immediate risks, like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), which can lead to long-term complications if not managed well. Every night’s sleep can feel like a risk, as there’s always the looming possibility of dangerous overnight lows, especially in the early days before Continuous Glucose Monitors. The constant vigilance needed to manage diabetes is mentally exhausting, adding an invisible layer of stress that can feel unfair, when compared with our care-free peers. 

There’s also the social aspect. Having diabetes from such a young age means having to frequently explaining the condition, navigate awkward questions, and, confronting misconceptions. Attending sleepovers, playing sports, or even sharing a meal with friends can become moments of self-consciousness or anxiety when diabetes management is involved.

We are never just a child because we are always a child with diabetes. 

The Blessing: Resilience, Empathy, and Self-Knowledge

Yet, for all its challenges, growing up with type 1 diabetes builds strength in character and provides insights. Managing a chronic condition from such a young age instilled resilience and maturity in me. By necessity, I become a planner, problem-solver, and skilled in assessing risks and making decisions quickly. That level of responsibility (learned so young) translated into a strong sense of independence.

Diabetes also builds empathy. Living with an invisible illness made me more sensitive to the challenges others may face, even if they’re invisible, like my own. It encourages open-mindedness toward others’ struggles, whether they’re physical and/or emotional.

Beyond resilience and empathy, there’s also the power of self-knowledge. Diabetics diagnosed at a young age develop an early understanding of their body; I knew my body’s limits, and how it reacts to different foods, activities, and emotions. That self-awareness has always been be an asset, helping me to stay in tune with my needs and be proactive about my health.

Finding Balance

Ultimately, living with type 1 diabetes from such a young age has been a balancing act – a constant negotiation between the burden and the strength it brings. While there’s no denying the challenges, I like the unique perspective on life that diabetes has allowed me. Type 1 diabetes from an early age taught me I’m strong, highly adaptable, and to be more empathetic than I might have been otherwise. It’s not a journey anyone would wish for (and believe me I would say “yes” to a cure), but it’s one that I’m at peace with because it’s made me who I am. 

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To find more from Rebecca, you can follow M.E, Myself and Fatigue on TikTok. And if you want to find out more about living with Diabetes, there is lots of information on the Diabetes UK website.

If you would like to share your story with the Purpl Community through the blog, get in touch with Sam for a chat on [email protected]