Life With Type 1: A Kid's Perspective
Gavin Volden, CDF Advocate • November 14, 2022
TL;DR
An 11-year-old shares what life with type 1 diabetes is really like—from managing highs and lows to wearing devices like the Omnipod 5 and Dexcom. Through honesty and humor, he explains the daily challenges of T1D, his fear of injections before using an insulin pump, and his hope for a future cure so kids with diabetes can feel more “normal.”
What It’s Like Living with T1D as a Kid
Hi, my name is Gavin and I am 11 years old. I have lived with type 1 diabetes for seven years. Living with type 1 diabetes is very hard because no one understands what it’s like.
Living with type 1 diabetes is hard because you have to get insulin and it makes me feel shaky and out of this world. Sometimes when I am low, I don’t feel good and when I am high I get hot and it is hard to focus. When my blood sugar isn’t high or low, I feel great!
How the Omnipod 5 and Dexcom Help Manage T1D
I also wear cool devices. I wear an Omnipod 5 insulin pump and a Dexcom and they help manage my blood sugars and keep me healthy. The Omnipod is very nice because when I go high it sometimes gives me insulin on its own. Before I wore an insulin pump, I had to do shots. Whenever I got shots, I would run away because it scared me. I am thankful for my Omnipod because if I had to do shots, I would hate it. That’s why I am thankful for my pump and Dexcom.
Wanting to Feel Like a “Normal” Kid with T1D
I hope one day that there is a cure for type 1 diabetes. I want to be a normal kid. A normal kid is someone who is not a diabetic and does not have to get juice every 5 minutes!!! Just kidding, but sometimes it feels that way. I would also like to go down the stairs on my butt without a Dexcom in my way. I just wish I did not have diabetes. Until then, I will have to deal with it.
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