Student struggles with diabetes

Over 30 million Americans struggle diabetes, yet the general population has surprising little awareness for the disease. Sadie Cheloha is one of these Americans. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was eight, Cheloha has learned how to manage her diabetes to have so it has minimal impact on her daily life.

Diabetes, regardless of type, is the body’s inability to make or use its own insulin to regulate blood sugar. Most diabetics are required to check their blood sugar multiple times a day to determine how much insulin they need to maintain a consistent blood sugar.

“I’m supposed to check my blood sugar, so [I] poke my finger and give an [insulin] shot before every meal, “Sadie Cheloha said. “But I usually check my blood sugar once every two days.”

Before meals, diabetics count or estimate the total carbohydrates in a meal. The total amount of carbohydrates in a meal determines how much insulin the diabetic needs to maintain a consistent blood sugar.

“Like before meals I have to count [or estimate] the carbs and then I plug it into my pump (which I do instead of shots) and then it will give me insulin for the meal,” Cheloha said.

Besides dosing for meals, diabetes does not impact Cheloha’s life significantly. She can do what the majority of people can do, but there are small limitations.

“I was at a sleepover and my glucose monitor thing (which keeps track of my blood sugar so I don’t have to test as often) fell out while I was sleeping and my called me and asked why it wasn’t working and I had to explain to her why, and she came and got me at like one in the morning” Cheloha said. “It’s a good specific example of the overall experience with diabetes.”

But accompanying diabetes is countless misconceptions that surround the different types of diabetes. Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease that disrupts insulin production in the pancreas; whereas, type two diabetes is caused by an unhealthy life style and is often accompanied by obesity. The confusion between the two types can causes negative stereotypes about diabetics to form.

“It bothers me when people make jokes about [diabetes], like me being fat or not taking care of myself when I work really hard at it,” Cheloha said.

This ignorance can lead to rude jokes or even bullying to diabetics, which contributes to the elevated depression rate for diabetics. Nearly one in five diabetics think about taking their life.

“A lot of my friends would kind of make jokes about it, and I would ask them to stop, but they would keep saying things,” Cheloha said. “I wouldn’t call it bullying but it feels like it at times.”

Despite her diabetes, Sadie Cheloha manages to lead a normal and successful life, both in an academic and social sense. She also advocates for kindness towards all people with autoimmune diseases.

“It’s important for people to realize that for any illness that people can’t help it’s important to realize that your words affect people and it’s not just innocent fun,” Cheloha said.