Ariana's Story

I was diagnosed at age 10 and remember going through my awkward teenage stage feeling embarrassed about my chronic illness. I hated my parents telling the waitress that my soda "NEEDED" to be diet or trying to describe why I had to keep pricking my finger to my first boyfriend. I hated wearing a pump or anything that made it obvious that I had diabetes. I wouldn't even wear a medical alert bracelet for the longest time because I thought it was just for old people. I found it hard that kids around me didn't understand what was happening in my body or why I was able to eat a snack in class when they couldn't. Luckily, adults have a bit of a better understanding of diabetes and I ended up finding a lot of confidence in myself as I went through college and ventured into my 20s. I'm no longer embarrassed to take insulin in pubic, and I'm proud to show off the continuous glucose monitor on my body. Diabetes is just another part of who I am, and I'm glad that I no longer mind if it makes me a little more me.

Ariana Frayer