Most people don't look at diagnosis with type 1 diabetes as a blessing; but I do. It's not an ideal blessing - there are plenty of downsides - but at the very least it is a blessing in disguise. Without it, I would not be here today enjoying the most wonderful times of my life. 

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in February of 2005 at 23 years old.  I was finishing up my bachelor's degree in Denver, CO, thirsty, skinny, and constantly hungry. I went to my annual gynecologist appointment and she found ketones in my urine.  She drew a vial of my blood and told me that she'd call me the next day with the results of my glucose test.  

When my doctor's number showed up on my caller ID, I could barely pick up the phone.  I knew what her answer would be, and I didn't want to hear it.  When she said that my blood sugar was over 600 and that I needed to get to the emergency room. I panicked.  I went to the hospital where they sent me home with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, a prescription for Metformin, and a note to not eat any sugar.  They also suggested that I follow up with the Barbara Davis Center in Denver. That was a true blessing because they tore up the Metformin prescription and put me on insulin.

Since that fateful day in 2005, my life has changed for the better.  I graduated from college and moved back to Cleveland, OH.  I met my husband, David, a couple days after I moved back.  He had never met anyone with diabetes before, and one of the first things he did was buy a book about diabetes and memorized it.  We were learning so much together that we decided to pull it all together and put it on a website to share with the world.  In the process, I had the blessing to meet thousands of people who knew what it was like to live with diabetes. That was the birth of Diabetes Daily.  

I got pregnant with our daughter in 2008 and had a very healthy pregnancy with diabetes.  I kept my A1c in the low 5's throughout and was able to deliver a beautiful, healthy 6 lb. 1 oz baby girl naturally, without the use of drugs of any kind.  Not something you usually hear about Type 1 deliveries!  

It was at that point where I started to look at my diagnosis with diabetes itself as a blessing.  Without it, I wouldn't have moved back to Cleveland, and I wouldn't have met David.  Without David, Diabetes Daily would have never existed, and I would have never have had Leah. 

My post-diagnosis path has led to love, family, and a career helping thousands of people live a better life. I may have type 1diabetes, but I've never been happier. And that's a blessing.