Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. Essentially, somehow the pancreas has been attacked and stops producing insulin. The cause of the attack is not completely clear but may involve a virus or environmental. Type 1 diabetes was once called juvenile diabetes because it is usually diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood. People with type 1 diabetes must supply insulin by injection, pump or other methods.

Quotes on diabetes:

I was really mad at first. I didn't want to accept the restrictions. One day my dad mentioned that Mary Tyler Moore also suffered from diabetes. She could do everything I wanted to do-comedy, drama, dancing, singing. I've never met her, but she's been my idol ever since.

Diabetes is a degenerative disease. If you don't take care of it, you'll waste away and die. Still, for the first four years, I didn't care if I used sugar; I did whatever I wanted to. Although I gave myself two injections of insulin everyday, I denied to myself that I was sick.

I used the diabetes as my weapon. Of course, I was only hurting myself and making myself sicker, but I guess it was something I had to go through. I never went overboard so much that I really hurt myself, but my early teenage years were very tough.