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Jenna, 14, Virginia I have been on the Minimed 508 insulin pump for about three years. It has changed my life. By now, I barely remember what life was like before I got the pump. Shots and tightly controlled schedules are a thing of the past. I can eat what I want, when I want, and if I don't want to eat at all, I don't have to.
I still remember in fifth grade, just after I got the pump, when our teacher said that we were going to get a special treat. We were all excited. No one knew what this treat would be. Well, that afternoon, our surprise finally came. In walked my mom with Slurpees for the entire class in celebration of my new pump. I had never had a Slurpee before, because it would not have fit into my meal plan. So, because of the pump, I had my first Slurpee, and I was also a hero to my classmates for the rest of the day.
I remember another day in fifth grade, also just after I started on the insulin pump. The tubing, which drips the insulin I need into my body, came out. Because it was taped down, I didn't realize this until much later when I began to feel sick. Well, after throwing up in the bathroom, and the hallway, I did a blood test. My blood sugar had shot up, and I was DKA. My mom had to come to school and take me home.
So, while life with the pump is great most of the time, it's not a cure. Diabetes is not something I want to live with for the rest of my life. I was diagnosed when I was three years old, a month before my fourth birthday. I barely remember what life without diabetes is like. And I would give just about anything to find out.
