It was January 19th, 2020, the date that my life would change forever. I was up early getting ready for school. While I was in the shower, I started to feel light-headed and dizzy. This is not the first time I’ve felt like this, this feeling has happened a few times over the last few years. Knowing what’s about to come, I called out for help. The next thing I saw was my parents leaning over and holding onto me. I passed out again. We started towards the doctor’s office to see what’s wrong. I wasn’t there for five minutes before I learned that I was Type 1 Diabetic. The doctor said that if I was any later, my blood would have turned completely toxic. I was shocked. As we were on our way to the hospital, I started to realize a few of the signs that came up previously. For the last few years, there were times where I felt the same way, light-headed and dizzy. The week before January 19th was where I was at my worst with it. No matter how much water I drank, it still felt as if I was incredibly dehydrated. I constantly had to use the bathroom and I would regularly wet the bed. Something was wrong, but we didn’t grasp how serious it was at the time. When we finally arrived, I was hurried into the emergency room. While days went by, I had a group of people who were there by my side every step of the way. This new, frightening change was made much easier thanks to those people. Once a week went by, I was healthy enough to be sent home. I felt ready to face this challenge head-on and adapt to this new lifestyle. The first few weeks at home were challenging. Trying to balance this massive change along with the stress of virtual school felt impossible. On February the 18th, my dad tested positive for COVID-19. This on top of everything else, felt as if my mind was spiraling out of control. As time went on, my dad fully recovered and I have taken ownership of this process. As I’m handling my nutrition independently, my blood sugar has been in range by 92%. Looking back on myself when this all started, it feels as if I’m looking at a completely different person. Type 1 Diabetes has been a new experience for me, an experience that opened up my life and gave me the opportunities to grow and to take responsibility. I now look forward to my future as I prepare to enter a university. I fully intend to use all of my knowledge and experience to reach out to those who need it the most. I want to be like the same people who were there for me when I was going through this unknown experience. To be able to inspire younger children and to have a positive impact on their lives is now what I inspire to be.