On May 14, 2008, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes just two weeks before my sister (my built-in best friend) was born. I was just three and a half years old and little did I or my family realize it, but all our lives were about to change, and not only because there was going to be a second little human running around our house soon. Type one diabetes was about to become a central part of all of our lives, but not in a way that many people would imagine. Many people would assume that a diagnosis like type one diabetes does not have a silver lining, but it’s because of my chronic illness that I was able to grow into a “diabadass” even with the highs and lows (no pun intended) that it brings. Being diagnosed with type one diabetes at such a young age was definitely a blessing in disguise. As insane as that may sound, it was a blessing because it allowed me to develop the characteristics that have helped me become a successful person today: maturity, determination, responsibility, and organization. From the time I was 4 years old, I had to learn how to take on as much responsibility and be as mature as a typical teenager (if not someone older). From learning how to read nutrition labels and calculate carbohydrates to knowing how to balance my blood sugars; being responsible and maturing quickly as a four-year-old wasn’t an option, but a necessary key to survival. Whenever I think back to my childhood and life as a young diabetic, I’m always grateful for my parents who always reminded me, “You are capable of anything you put your mind to”, “Never let diabetes get in the way of your dreams” and “Insulin is your superpower.” My parents are the ones who helped fuel my desire for greatness in every section and stage of my life. If it weren’t for them I would not have had a well-rounded childhood consisting of six different sports and numerous after-school activities all while balancing my blood sugars from one activity to the next. They taught me that with a little extra organization and determination, I could compete and succeed amongst the best in every section of my life even with a “dead pancreas.” Although I had my fair share of diabetes struggles during my “dark years” of being a diabetic pre-teen, I eventually learned how to overcome them with the help of time, personal growth, and loved ones. Once I became a teenager, I realized that the only way to turn my everyday struggles into my strengths was by rewriting my narrative and outlook on diabetes. I don’t let diabetes define me anymore because I have made my own definition of what diabetes means to me. To me, diabetes is: “the thing that made me who I am today; my superpower; my hidden talent; the key that gave me access to the coolest secret society of fellow ‘diabadasses'.” At the end of the day, not many people can say that they share something important with legends such as Nick Jonas and Sonia Sotomayor. May 14, 2008, is now celebrated every year in my family because it’s my “diaversary” (diabetes anniversary). It’s been over 15 years and it always makes me laugh when I realize that my “dead pancreas” is two weeks older than my sister. I find it so cool that I get to share a month with my built-in best friend by celebrating her birthday and the infamous diagnosis that made me the person that I am today.