Maggie's Story

My name is Maggie Callahan and I was diagnosed with type one at age 12. My diagnoses came as a surprise. I didn’t know a thing about type one diabetes but I quickly learned and worked hard to care for myself with the help of my family who stuck by my side through it all. Fast forward 13 years and I am proud to be where I’m at living a life where I don’t let diabetes become an obstacle when I’m working towards my goals. I recently ran my first full marathon. I worked hard in school and in my career in the mental health field and am doing a job that I love every single day where I get to help others. I created an instagram account with another type one friend of mine so that I can connect with others who are living with this disease and spread positivity through social media. Good things are happening and diabetes is not stopping me. I have been through so many ups and downs with this disease. But in many ways, type one has been a blessing to me. It sounds weird because there is nothing fun about the feeling of being low, the headaches and nausea and hospital trips when your sugars run high, all of the devices and people staring at you, the list goes on. There are scary and frustrating situations that come along with this diagnoses. However, diabetes has shown me my own strength. It’s connected me with amazing people from all over the world. It has taught me dedication, discipline, and patience. It has helped me to push myself and exceed my greatest expectations. Most importantly it’s helped me to be grateful for my life and to see all of the blessings around me. Don’t ever let type one be the reason you shy away from your goals. Diabetes or not, we all have our own struggles but we are all strong and can accomplish anything with the right mindset.

Maggie Callahan