Kevin’s Story – millennials + disease + aging

KC: 90’s but I hugged the border.

KC: I.T. Consultant

KC: After getting a Business Degree, I got into project management and customer service and was lucky enough to land an entry level I.T. job that was looking for someone with customer service experience and learned as much as I could and worked my way up.  I have always been a nerd and into computers, so it wasn’t a huge jump for me to make a career out of it.

KC: Type 1 Diabetes.  My pancreas makes insulin, but my body thinks it’s a virus, so it destroys it before it can do its job.  Insulin breaks down sugar into energy for our bodies, so I have to get insulin via shots or a pump.  It is a balancing act of taking enough insulin to break down what I eat, but not too much so that I have no usable sugar for energy.

KC: I got it when I was two, so 26 years now.

KC: I don’t remember life before it, so I am lucky in that I grew up with it and it has always been something I deal with and have learned how to manage throughout the years.

KC: I’m a planner, so I have always been prepared for each step of life, but the thing I am most worried about is paying for my younger years when I am older.  I’m trying my best to take care of myself and live a long life, which is very possible with diabetes.

KC: It has made me be much more careful about what I do to myself.  Diabetes doesn’t have the most immediate negative effects, so the real damage of me not taking care of it won’t be known until I get older.  Because of this, I try to be careful and plan for a long, healthy life by handling the day to day of diabetes well.  This includes regular doctors visits and close monitoring of my blood sugar.

KC: We don’t talk about it too much, actually.  As we get older, the things we have always done get easier since we get more used to it and it becomes routine, while the new things bring new stresses.  That’s getting older; dealing with life’s challenges as they come up and getting better at dealing with life.  We always have problems and in the moment they take all of our attention and feel like the end of the world.  As we age, we grow and learn that the problems we had yesterday are not as bad as we thought and we learn to deal with things better.  When you are four, not getting the green crayon makes you feel like life is over.  And in your 20’s you (hopefully) laugh as something so trivial but feel like your life is over when you lose a job.  I just hope as I age, I can look back at my troubles and laugh. As far as diabetes, I try not to dwell on it too much.  Plan for the future and take care of yourself now.  Everything else has worked out so far.

KC: I do research on everything, and love to plan stages in advance.  My parents taught me good financial literary skills, so they have had me saving money since I was young.  Life happens and unexpected bills come up, so I like to be able to handle them and then continue planning for the future.  I save for retirement because saving a little over time is easier than doing it all at the end.  I try my best to take care of my health.  I go to the gym, have run half marathons, and like hiking.  I am always looking for the newest diabetes device that will make life easier. I want to live to old age and be comfortable throughout the ride, so I try my best to make that happen.

KC: Yes, I don’t think I have too different of goals compared my friends.  I hope they are doing well financially and take care of themselves.  I love my friends to bits and want them to stick around with me for as long as possible!  Since I grew up with it, I have made the changes necessary for diabetes over time.  There is definitely a financial burden with it, but was lucky enough to grow up with perfect parents who could take care of me until I was capable of doing it myself.  I make sure not to have a lapse in health insurance and save enough to afford supplies, but other than that, I’m on a level playing field.

KC: I couldn’t tell you one specific resource that I have used.  Do your research, read everything, question everything, see doctors, get their opinion, ask others in a similar situation.  More information leads to better decisions!  I know for me, talking to others with diabetes helped me when I was struggling.  Getting someone else’s experiences and knowledge was also great when looking for or trying new devices.  The ADA (American Diabetes Association) has fundraisers and events where I met others and just started talking to them.  “When I go swimming, my ‘blah blah’ falls off, does that happen to you?” “Yes, but I use ‘cool thing’ that helps!”  A conversation as simple as this made me feel “normal” and showed me a new waterproof tape that I still use to this day.  I guess check out Reddit for a subreddit related to whatever you are going through or check for other specific forums.

KC: Live life.  Do as much as you can to experience what life has to offer with the cards you are dealt.  Everyone has something plaguing them and someone probably has it worse than you, don’t get down on yourself.  In the tough times, take a step back and look at the good things in the past and look forward to everything good coming in the future!