Today, I write to you with a personal plea and that is to find the silver lining of your diagnosis. Everyone has some mental and emotional struggles with diabetes, but it is important to find something positive to help improve your outlook.

Some examples to consider:

Your parents probably haven’t slept since you were diagnosed, but now you will never question how much they love you.

These rescue attempts are much more difficult when you’re backpacking in the woods with limited reception and resources. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if I wasn’t there in case of an emergency. The thought of leaving John on his own at a camp was nothing short of terrifying.nnBut at fifteen, maybe it was time (or past time) to stop hovering, and let our highly responsible, almost eagle-scout figure it out on his own. We had sent our two (non T1) daughters to a church-led, mountain-top, outdoor adventure camp the prior year, and it was an experience we wanted for John also. They had a pediatrician, which made us feel much better. She was not the “juice fairy” from diabetes camp, but she had no major concerns and the camp directors were up for it too