Day 7 of Diabetes Blog Week: My Diabetes Hero

It's Day 7 of Diabetes Blog Week - And it's all about Heroes - As in: Who is my Diabetes Hero.

And it doesn't matter if that Hero is a type1, type 1.5, type2 or type 3.

My Diabetes Hero was my mom - Even though her pancreas worked fine until a few years ago. 

She never gave up, she always had a smile and a kind word and she could kick major ass when she needed to. 

My mother was a resilient woman whose sparkle could be seen from a mile away.

And my mother  always picked herself up  by her bootstraps and plowed ahead no matter what obstacles life tossed in her way - And she expected each of her children to do the same. 

My mom had 6 children, and three of those children had type 1 - And one of them passed away from type 1. 

She also had a husband with type 1 diabetes.

And my mother persevered. She kept moving and kept going and she NEVER gave up. 

And she never let her children with diabetes use diabetes as a crutch or an excuse - It was a part of life and we had to face it head on. 

And that attitude was one of the greatest gifts my mother ever gave me.

My mom had a heart that was filled with love and laughter.

But unbeknownst to us, she had a damaged heart from having scarlet fever as a baby - but no one realized it was damaged until she was in her 60s.

She was all "damn the torpedos" and damn them she did.

She was an athlete, a mother, a caregiver and an amazing woman. 

Here's the thing: my mom's heart was only working at 25% for the past four or five years, but my mom never told any of us that, and Girlfriend did more with a heart at 25% then most people did with a heart working at 100%.

She made her heart adapt and work for her. 

She never let it stop her from living or laughing or loving and she not only had a blast - she had a social life that would make most of us jealous!

And in the end it wasn't her 25% heart that did her in.

I miss my mom a lot  - But I was quite a lucky chicklet to have her for as long as I did. 

She's the reason I see the glass half full and she's the reason I keep on trucking. 

She's the reason I am tough and sweet all rolled into one and she's the person who inspires me every single day - Both in my life - And my life with diabetes - And even though she's no longer here. 

CHEERS Mommy!

Pink Hat, Red Hat.

Mom & I about 3 months before I was diagnosed