I am a type one Diabetic and have had diabetes since I was 11 months old. Diabetes has not only shaped me into someone who has to take on more responsibility, but also helped me to not take anything for granted. Ever since I started sports I would have to keep an eye on my sugar levels. When it would go too low or too high I would have to sit out and wait until my sugar levels went back to normal to play again. To this day in my varsity basketball practices and games, I still have to sit out every once in a while because of this. Even though sitting out and waiting for my sugar levels to get back to normal was difficult, it gave me the trait of patience and shaped me into someone who doesn't take things for granted. This is because when I would be able to go back to participating, I would play my heart out knowing that I might have to sit out again at any moment. I can recall a game this past basketball season where my team really needed me towards the end, but my sugar levels went low and I had to go sit on the bench. We ended up losing the game, which was painful to see that if my numbers would have been at a safe level to play, we would've had a better shot to win. Moments like this, made me have to have good self control and just keep pushing forward even if things didn't go the way I wanted them to. Having diabetes also meant I had to grow up a little faster than everyone else because I had a lot more responsibility as a child. I would need to give myself insulin any time I ate, I would need to eat or drink something sugary when my sugar levels went low, and I would need to remember when to change my sites. These experiences and moments will impact me in a good way because having diabetes has given me good qualities to help me stay focused on the goal ahead and to not give up even with road bumps. It has impacted me to be patient with people in a future job. It has impacted me to do everything 100% knowing that someday it could all be taken away. Finally, diabetes has impacted me to grow as a person overall to care for others and bring me great qualities that will help to be the best person I can be.