The O'Grady family (Mom, Dad, Sister - Justine) is my true ride or die, go to the ends of the earth, day 1 support system, and people I could never live without. I honestly don't know how I could do life without them. While this post is strictly about my immediate family, I want to add that I do have an extended support system that are also truly amazing (who will be discussed in other posts). But for purposes of this post, my focus will be on the people that have been with me from the very beginning and have been beside me every step of the way.
The day I was diagnosed was scary for me but I know it was even scarier for my family. I am not a parent yet but I know how helpless my parents must have felt in a situation they had no control over, didn't really know much about, and couldn't just kiss it and make the pain go away. My big sister couldn't protect me either so I knew she was feeling confused and scared about the whole situation.
While I was in the hospital for about a week, my family never left my side. I had some visitors throughout the week but it was my mom, dad, and sister that were there early mornings, all throughout the day, and late nights. My mother didn't even leave the hospital to shower or to sleep. I just remember my poor mother sleeping on an uncomfortable hospital lounge chair because she didn't want to take her eyes off me for one second (and I very much appreciate her for doing this..thanks Mom!!).
When the doctor was explaining what needed to be done to take care of my diabetes, it felt like a game of dodgeball with information being thrown at me, while I was just trying to keep from getting knocked down! Thankfully, my family was right there with me listening intently and vigorously taking detailed notes. They were preparing to take on diabetes just as I was going to have to do. When the week that felt like eternity was over and I was finally discharged from the hospital, we all walked out together, ready to take this on as a family!
11 years later (as of May 9, 2020), and I am as thankful now as I was back then to have such a great and loving support system to get me through this. My day 1 support system was there from the start and have never backed away.
Recently, I asked my family to tell me in one sentence how they felt about my diagnosis. I know this was a tough task to put into one sentence how they felt, but I was interested to see what they would come back with. Needless to say, some family members did better at this exercise then others...
Mom: "As a mother, I was very conscientious and made sure you and your sister had all the necessary vaccines and developmental pediatrician appointments. You just turned 18 and your gymnastic coach called to express his concern about your inability to perform simple gymnastics movements. He said “I think Kaitlin has a medical problem.” I immediately took you to the pediatrician. Your whole life, you rarely complained about feeling sick. You told the doctor you were very thirsty and having problems breathing. He thought you had an athletic induced asthma and gave you medicine for it. He also recommended a blood test and for you to stay home from a school trip to Great Adventure. We thought nothing was seriously wrong. The next day, on the way to work, the doctor frantically called and told me to get you and meet him at the emergency room. Once there, they immediately took you in and had you hooked up to machines and Intravenous tubes. Your dad was driving to the hospital. I remember saying to the doctors, “ you need to tell me what is going on?” They said “Mrs. OG, your daughter is in a state of ketoacidosis. I felt so stupid and remember him saying your glucose sugar was 475 and your organs were shutting down. She has diabetes.” I was in shock, feeling I really am not really hearing what he said. I kept saying no she is not! The rest is history."
Dad: "I knew that whatever the diagnosis was, that you would not let anything stand in the way of pursuing your dreams."
Sister: "I was completely confused and dumbfounded. Honestly, at the time, I knew so little about diabetes. I didn't understand how my sister, a healthy, weight-conscious, active young 18-year old female could suddenly have this autoimmune disease."
With it being over a decade since my diagnosis, it was interesting to see my family's responses of that day. I especially loved my dad's response because he is a man of very few words but came in with that slam dunk of a response. And he was right..but it wouldn't at all been possible without the love, support, and encouragement from my family!
While I can go on and on about my family, I want to close this out by saying I can't thank my family enough for all they have done for me over the years. I hope whoever is in a situation with type 1 diabetes, that you have a strong support system because it truly makes a heck of a lot of difference knowing you have a good backing behind you!
