Anna’s Story

I was diagnosed at age 11 in 1999. I had a very very rough first few years with my diabetes, from taking care of it, accepting I had it, taking it seriously and not living in a denial. Few years later at age 14, I ended up to the hospital with a severe ketoacidosis and I nearly died. It was a horrible wake up call for me to come out of my bubble and realize I could no longer ignore my diabetes if I wanted to live a good life. From there on I totally shifted my perspective. I promised I would never let myself slip to that point again, but neither let my diabetes to be an excuse to not live. This mindset has lead me to backpack solo around the world, move out of my home country Finland at age 23 and now have lived in 3 different countries (past 8 years), and becoming a professional athlete in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).  Being a fighter with T1D has been an incredibly tough challenge, and still is, but I am not scared of my diabetes, I don’t let it stop me from doing anything in life, it is never ever an excuse for me.  I believe we should feel empowered, not as victims. I don’t like to make a big number out if my diabetes or complain about it too much. I’m sure we all would rather live without our disease, and I hope the cure will come in my lifetime, but there are so many diseases much worse, much more crippling than type-1 diabetes. I try to turn the adversity as my strength and my wisest teacher and be greatful that I am able to live pretty well with T1D in today’s world. The road has been bumpy, of course, but I’m always pro-active to get back on track. With T1D I strive for progress, not perfection – because I want to live and enjoy my life. Last but not east, over the years I’ve became a true ‘Health Junkie’ and I’m just about to launch my Holistic Health & Nutrition Virtual Coaching Practice – Well Warrior, and hoping to expand it in the future to cover Type-1 Diabetes as well

With Warrior Strength,

Anna Hyvarinen