I am not a warrior.

When it comes to living with diabetes, "warrior" isn't a title for Pine Tree State. Nor am I a hero. And I certainly don't use actor's line like "brave" to describe how I live with this condition.

I'm just a guy careening toward my 40s (yikes!) who does what has to be done every singular twenty-four hour period to live with typecast 1 diabetes. This has been the only world I've proverbial since age 5, and patc there are certainly multiplication that I've matt-up I've had to "attend battle" because diabetes is overmuch, operating theater I've had to get Sir Thomas More aggressive, the warfare analogy is not unrivalled that I use on a regular basis to name my life with diabetes.

With Diabetes Awareness Month opening, this has been happening my take care very much lately — spurred on by some of the diabetes awareness campaigns that cente this sort of language.

The American Diabetes Association has obsessed the "hero" label as it encourages multitude to write letters to their diabetes. And Dexcom has launched a campaign donating to diabetes charities every time someone uses the #WarriorUp hashtag on Facebook or Instagram.

Don't get me wrong: I think some are commendable in their own way, especially the Dexcom campaign, because IT will raise money for a identification number of great groups doing incredible cultivate to help the great unwashe with diabetes.

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Some prominent celebs with diabetes have taken to social media to #WarriorUp, including role playe Derek Theler (starring in Freeform's Marvel New Warriors as Mister Immortal) who's been living with T1D since age 3; Field skier Kris Freeman; NASCAR driver Ryan Walter Reed, and others.

While I do find these guys sacred and am willing they're out there share-out their stories and raising awareness, in many ways the campaign itself rubs me the unethical agency — because living with diabetes is non glorious. It sucks.

D-Mom Audrey Farley in Old Line State wrote an amazing post over at Insulin Nation on this very topic, pointing out that the "warrior" approach oversimplifies life with T1D and doesn't be realism for numerous PWDs. Fellow type 1 Kim Hislop took it to the next level in a different post called 'Diabetes Does Stop Me,' explaining that a great deal the subject matter of celebrating empowerment doesn't jibe with reality – especially when IT comes to celebrities speaking to those of us WHO aren't surviving in that privileged existence.

Yep, I am on that same paginate.

At the moment, I Don't motive the extraordinary. I need the characterless. The inspiration from others my age simply mustering the motivation to take simple steps like eating lower-carb, walking the dog day-to-day around the neck of the woods, limiting the amount of drinks I revel per week, or even just not slacking on checking origin sugars and erosion my CGM many on a regular basis. These are the challenges I'm facing daily, not whether I can climbing a mountain or bike crosswise America, operating theater do something heroic as a 38-year-old intermediate class roast in Michigan.

Sure, there are times when I'm yelling at my insurance company and win an argument to get coverage that I certainly flavour like a hero. Like I've stepped into the thunder-dome and come out triumphant. Yep, pumping my fists and so feels bad good for a instant.

Been on that point, done that.

I've also had nights of no sleep, crying and anger outbursts where I've lost my voice from screaming into the void. American Samoa a teenager and 20-something, I much mulled that question of "Why Me?!" and felt my life with T1D was to a greater extent of a burden than it should be. Complications give brought me to my knees, and there have been those dark years of struggling happening the mental health front. There were days when I couldn't get access to my insulin and I was frightened beyond belief.

Thankfully, none of the extremes are a norm for me any longer. I am propitious.

Only either way, I still wouldn't want to use the warrior theme to describe my life story with T1D, because it simply feels… misleading. Like I am glorifying how I do battle and win against this condition, and that's the end of the news report.

Tackling these things is just a take off of life. It doesn't make me especially brave Beaver State extraordinary. I just don't wish to suffer and possibly die, so I promote ahead and prick my fingers and reckoning the carbs and take my insulin and call the insurance caller, etc. etc. Part with of that is educating myself to screw tips and tricks, in encase I ever do face an yield that puts me in danger. All I'm really trying to to do is to avoid lease this disease negatively impact my life as far as possible. Whether it's a effective day operating theatre non, I get into't feel the glory of organism a warrior.

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And what if you do think of yourself as a warrior but you don't win the battle against whatever diabetes issue you're rising against — whether it's complications or affordable access to medicine? Are you a destroyed hero? Does your story still deserve attention in D-Cognizance Calendar month and this fight? Are we glorifying this condition, by telling one side of the story without the counter-balance?

While others may be elated to use this label, it's just not for me.

If you happen to believe the warrior or poor boy designations apply, good for you! I hope those "battles" go your way as much as possible.

But while these upbeat campaigns for awareness move forward, we have to commemorate that masses in our D-Community are really struggling with some of the rudiments and our country isn't doing enough to help. In fact, America's leaders are guilty of an large fail connected diabetes care.

While I personally North Korean won't be participating in the #WarriorUp campaign, course I will support those who do. Because equivalent all things in life, Your Diabetes May Diverge, as do the approaches to mortal-perception and advocacy.