Meet Brooke

My name is Brooke, and I am 18 years old. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was only 9 months old and was put on an insulin pump at the age of 1. 

Growing up I didn't really care that I was different from family and friends until I was in 5^th grade. K–4^th grade I had a friend named Gio who was also a diabetic and we did everything together. But sadly, I moved in 5^th grade and was the only diabetic my grade and I felt left out because no one wanted to be friends with the kid that had diabetes. 

I hid my pump and medical supplies all the time, even from coaches because they would treat me differently. I started to play sports to help me fit in and playing actually helped me find myself. I started to return to my normal self and started to uncover my pumps. At the time I was on T-slim but didn't like the cord. I was always having to take it off for soccer and then I was off of insulin for hours, which then put me in DKA a lot of times to the point where I couldn't play soccer. I switched to Omnipod because I needed a change to make having diabetes fun again, which it did because I paint and color on my pods all the time to make them look cool and they stand out. Now I don't care to show off my Dexcom or Omnipod around school, soccer, or in public. 

I found the enjoyment of having diabetes and I went to Camp Ho Mita Koda in Newberry, Ohio, where I found my best friends because it was a camp just for diabetics. You got to feel like "Normal" again and they really helped me find the good in diabetes. There will always be challenges but the accomplishments and the people you meet on the journey make it all worth it. I am lucky enough to have a grandma and an uncle that have it and to have all my family and friends supporting me helps.