My definition of a blended family might be a little bit different from yours. I live with both of my parents, who have been married for 23 years. I have a biological brother and an adopted sister. I have had more than twelve foster siblings over the past ten years. Even though only one of my foster siblings has been officially adopted into our family, we’re still pretty mixed up! When I was four years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. At that time, I had a biological brother who was two years old. My parents loved kids and knew that two wasn’t enough for them, but right after a T1D diagnosis, my parents decided more biological children weren’t the best fit for them, and fostering and adoption were the way to go. I was seven when my first “sister” came into our family. She was only one year old, but I remember feeling so special when she’d choose to sit with me instead of my mom. “K” was such a happy little girl, and my parents had so hyped me up about how having foster siblings was such an honor and only special brothers got to do this job, that I was convinced life couldn’t get any better. Only a few short months after having “K” she went to live with a relative, and I remember we all just sat together on the couch and cried. Fast forward a few months…I was now a big brother to three more kids! I was now eight years old, and my brother Caleb was six. We’d loved “K” so much, and we just knew having more siblings would be the best thing ever. Surprise! It wasn’t! This time, we had Jax, who was two, Jayden, who was three, and Kaylee, who was six, and life was rough. Whereas “K” was always so happy and sweet and cuddly, these three were wild and crazy and constantly getting into trouble, and I’ve never claimed to be an angel, so the five of us really pushed my mom’s buttons! This cycle of kids coming in and out has repeated many times over the past ten years. Some kids were definitely easier to love than others, but I’m incredibly grateful to my parents for allowing us to see how foster care works, the good, the bad, and the ugly. One of the benefits of having so many younger siblings, I’ve always been the oldest, is that I am now the most patient brother on earth. Nothing rattles me, and I’m always calm under pressure: bloody noses, bring them on; spilled gallons of milk, no sweat; three-year-olds screaming because their hair isn’t turning purple, doesn’t bother me! Patience is my superpower, and combined with my over-the-top love of history, I’ve decided to become a high school history teacher. Even though my idea of a blended family isn’t the stereotypical version, it’s still a big pitcher of chaos and love all mixed up.

I’m the luckiest kid in the world. Want to know why? Because I have Type 1 Diabetes and Epilepsy, and they have made me fearless. “Once I was afraid, I was petrified…” but then I realized that those obnoxious finger pricks didn’t hurt as badly as I thought, and those shots, well worth it for a cupcake. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was four and epilepsy when I was 13. I really do consider myself lucky. I do not have memories of life pre-T1D. I don’t remember what it was like to not count carbs or give injections or be woken at 2:00 in the morning and forced to drink juice. I’ve heard my mom’s fears all my life, not about the actual logistical fears of diabetes and epilepsy, but the fears that I would be bullied or treated differently. Do you know what my mom did? She treated my diabetes as something to be proud of and something special that God knew I was strong enough and brave enough to live and thrive with. I’ve never been made to feel ashamed of diabetes or sorry for myself or envious of the “normal” kids. Diabetes is normal, and I made diabetes look awesome. I feel like I have the wrong answer for “How has being a part of the disabled community made a difference in your view of the world?” Maybe I’m being naive, but I don’t think it’s made a big difference in my worldview, or at least not a negative difference for sure. If anything, it’s proven to me over and over again that there are so many good people in the world. I have family and friends and friends of friends who are always looking out for me. Kids that I went to kindergarten with still ask me if I gave myself insulin at lunchtime. I have friends who keep candy in their backpacks in case I get low and don’t have a snack. Our local House of Delegates representative has recently reached out to me, and last week I was able to attend a Virginia Senate committee meeting and speak regarding a current proposed bill regarding diabetes care in schools. The opportunity to do that and actually participate in our state government is amazing and wouldn’t be possible without my disability. It’s amazing to realize that even I, a regular seventeen-year-old kid, have a voice, and I am being encouraged to use it. I’ll be honest. I’m not a really cool guy. I’m not an athlete or homecoming king. I’m a history nerd through and through. I plan to major in history and education and become a high school history teacher. I’ve been participating in Civil War reenactments for more than three years, and I’m starting to participate in Revolutionary War and World War 2 reenactments also. I’m the weird kid who wears my WW2 uniform to school in honor of Pearl Harbor Day, or my Civil War uniform to school on the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. I’ve also been known to show up to school in my Clan Campbell kilt or my 1920s-style suit, just because I can. I’m proud to be myself, and everyone accepts me the way that I am. I hope to teach my future students to be true to themselves and embrace life's challenges like I'm doing.

I'm the luckiest kid in the world. Want to know why? Because I have Type 1 Diabetes, and it has made me fearless. "Once I was afraid, I was petrified..." but then I realized that those obnoxious finger pricks didn't hurt as badly as I thought they did, and those shots, well worth it for a piece of pizza and a cupcake. I was diagnosed when I was four years old, and I truly do consider myself lucky. I do not have memories of life pre-T1D. I don't remember what it was like to not count carbs and give injections or change sites or be woken at 2:00 in the morning and forced to drink juice. I've heard my mom's fears all my life, not about the actual logistical fears of diabetes, but the fears that I would be bullied or treated differently. Do you know what my mom did? She treated my diabetes as something to be proud of and something special that God knew I was strong enough and brave enough to live with and thrive with. On National Diabetes Day, our whole school celebrated with Diabetes Awareness cookies and a school walk to raise support. I've never been made to feel ashamed of diabetes or sorry for myself or envious of the "normal" kids. Diabetes is normal, and I make diabetes look awesome! Fast forward to now, preparing for college, and my mom is definitely worrying about the logistics more, but diabetes has also made me responsible, and I'm ready to prove what I can do. I recently brought Kat home. She is a two-year-old Goldendoodle and my diabetic alert dog in training. This is making lemonade out of lemons for sure because who doesn't want a cool dog to hang out with all the time? I haven't chosen my college yet, but one of my top choices is five hours away, and I feel ready to prove to everyone that I can handle anything put in front of me, especially with Kat by my side to wake me for those middle-of-the-night lows. I'll be honest. I'm not a really cool guy. I'm not an athlete or homecoming king. I'm a history nerd through and through. I plan to major in history and education and become a high school history teacher. I've been participating in Civil War reenactments for more than three years, and I'm starting to participate in Revolutionary War and World War 2 reenactments also. I'm the weird kid who wears my WW2 uniform to school in honor of Pearl Harbor Day, or my Civil War uniform to school on the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. I've also been known to show up to school in my Clan Campbell kilt or my 1920s style suit, just because I can. And guess what? No one is mean to me or bullies me. They may give me strange looks, and they may mumble "what is wrong with that dude" as I walk past, but that's okay. I've learned that I am proud to be myself, even if myself is different and not cool. I give credit to Type 1 Diabetes for my strength and the courage and confidence I have in myself. Diabetes taught me early on that being different is okay, and there is nothing I can do to change it, so I might as well embrace it, and I feel like I've done that, not only with diabetes but with all my interests and likes.

I fell in love with history when I was eight years old and overheard my mom and grandpa talking about my family's military service. My mom's grandpa, Estel Cornett, was an army mortarman in the Pacific during WW2. They were talking about him serving along with all seven of his brothers. I started asking questions and still haven't stopped. I have even had the privilege of meeting two of his brothers that served and talking with them about their experiences and lives before and during the war. In 2021, I attended a Civil War reenactment and started talking to some of the soldiers. By 2022, I was a member of the 51st Virginia Volunteer Infantry which is based out of Stuart Virginia. I was only 14 years old then, but my unit was ok with hiding my true age so I could pretend to be 16 and old enough to carry a rifle and participate in the battles. That opened up a new world to me and it seems like I live and breathe history now. I've been fortunate to travel all over Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania to participate in various Civil War battles and living history demonstrations. In August 2023, I was able to attend D-Day Conneaut, an annual D-Day reenactment that takes place on Lake Erie in Conneaut Ohio. I've been able to attend every year since and I'm looking forward to participating with the 4th Infantry Division during the 2026 reenactment because I'll finally be 18! Being a member of the 4th Infantry is special for me because my dad's grandfather, Roy Huffman, was a machine gunner for the 4th Infantry and participated in the Normandy landing before being wounded in July 1944. Reenacting has allowed me to travel to many places and meet many amazing and interesting people. While at J.E.B. Stuart's birthplace, I was able to meet J.E.B. Stuart V, who is the great-grandson of the Confederate general. While at D-Day Conneaut, I met Jack Einstein, a WW2 veteran who is the 3rd cousin of Albert Einstein. Also at that event, I met Henry Armstrong, who helped liberate a concentration camp, fought through France and Germany and by the time he retired, became a Command Sergeant Major, which is highest rank an NCO can hold. Everyone that knows me knows my love of history, specifically military history. Friends and family are always sharing stories or asking questions or even giving me memorabilia that they have. My elementary school nurse knows how much I love meeting with and talking to veterans, so she introduced me to her father before he passed. Thomas Halsey served in Germany and loved sharing his stories and experiences with me. One memorable story he shared was how one night while on guard duty near the Rhine River, a German soldier snuck up on him and captured him. The German soldier searched Thomas's clothing and gear for officer identification, but after finding none, the soldier just turned and walked away. Thomas said he was so surprised and confused that he didn't even think of shooting the German soldier! He told me "If that guy found any officer insignia or gear on me, he probably would have killed me right there." My interest and love of history has given me so many opportunities to study and learn about the past. I can't wait to continue my education in history and become a teacher in the hopes of passing down my passion to other students.