Living with diabetes is daily challenge

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2119

By Izzy Schmidt

Senior Jacob Ramsey has been  living with diabetes since he was three years old. (Photo by Izzy Schmidt)
Senior Jacob Ramsey has been living with diabetes since he was three years old.
(Photo by Izzy Schmidt)

25.8 million Americans have it. 215,000 of them are under the age of 20. Seven million Americans aren’t even aware that they have it. What is it? Diabetes. According to National Diabetes Education Program, 8.3 percent of the U.S. population has type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Many students are unaware that all over campus, there are a number of students who live with diabetes everyday. Jacob Ramsey, senior, is one of those kids.

“I think that many people at our school are clueless about diabetes and how it works. Many people need to be more educated about it because there’s a high probability that Coronado students have it and don’t even know. It’s very serious,” said Ramsey.

Diabetes is found in two forms, type 1 and type 2. Type 1, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is when the pancreas does not produce insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert starches, sugars, and other foods into energy for the body to use. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes. Insulin is not used properly, also called insulin resistance, so the body creates more to make up for it; however, the body can’t make enough insulin for glucose levels to stay normal.

“I have had type 1 diabetes since the age of three,” Ramsey said, “On average, I wake up thinking about diabetes, and go to bed thinking about it. I have to check my blood sugar before every meal. I have to count carbohydrates so I know how much insulin to inject in myself.”

Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin shots or pills and pumps. Type 2 diabetes is treated first with weight reduction/exercise in addition to a diabetic diet and insulin.

“I can eat whatever I want, I just have to inject insulin for it. It’s hard sometimes,” Ramsey said, “many students have no idea what diabetes is. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been eating something sweet at lunch and someone has said, ‘hey you have diabetes, you can’t eat that!’ I’m just like every other teen. I eat whatever I want, have a job, and have homework just like everyone else. The only difference is that I have to watch myself.”

All over the country, there are countless foundations that support diabetes research, treatment, and education. One organization is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDFR). The JDRF hosts Walk to Cure Diabetes which is an inspiring way to raise money for much needed type 1 diabetes research.

“The NDA is an organization that hosts weeklong camps for children with diabetes. I have been a counselor for diabetes camps for a few years now. JDRF is a research organization that researches cures for diabetes and helps fund new technologies for diabetics to make their lives easier. They host a “Walk for the Cure” every year,” said Ramsey.

If left untreated, type 1 diabetes can cause eye damage, nerve damage, even kidney and heart damage.

“I’m happy to say that diabetes has made me a much stronger person that I would have imagined. Because of my diabetes, I have to hold a high level of responsibility and accountability. If I don’t manage my disease properly and something bad happens down the road, that’s on me. My fault and no one else’s.”

If left untreated, type 2 diabetes can cause eye, nerve, kidney, and heart damage.

“Through diabetes, I have met so many people that will be with me for the rest of my life. My freshman year, I sat next to a girl in my geometry class. What’s interesting is that a couple of months after I knew her, she was actually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It was really quite a coincidence. We’ve been dating for almost three years now,” Ramsey said.