Comment by rick phillips on March 4, 2013 at 9:11pm

here is my suggestion, do it. i got that all the time and man it would make me angry. You can't, you shouldn't you won't all made me do twice as much. Would we let someone say you cant go to school your not smart enough? Nope, so tell me no, I am motivated to do it. Man I dislike those words.

Comment by Caity on March 4, 2013 at 10:26pm

Thanks rick, makes me so angry also! You know the worst part is they are meant to be my friends! I'm going to try twice as hard just to show them i can do whatever i want diabetes just follows me!

Comment by acidrock23 on March 5, 2013 at 6:19am

My wife expressed some concern about signing up to run a marathon, as the training is quite a bit of slogging down the trails. She was happier when I found a local group to run with, at least someone to call if they found me passed out in the bushes?

Comment by WES on March 5, 2013 at 8:01am

For years I have felt that no one could stop me. I trained and ran a 1/2 marathon. I used to run and exercise to billy blanks dvds daily. And then I started thinking about what is best for my body? Why am I trying to prove something? If I really desire to do something and I am excited about it then ok but if I'm just doing it because someone told me no....What am I really getting out that? Anger has definitly fueled me in the past. But I am starting to believe that that anger has to do with my (un)willingness to see the whole picture. When ever I am angry about something there is a little hidden truth there. My hidden truth was realizing after 16 years of T1 diabetes was: drum roll oh yeah I have type 1 diabetes.

Comment by catlover on March 5, 2013 at 11:41am

Caity- No one has the right to tell you what you can or can't do with your life. When these "friends" say this to you, just ask them if they have ever heard of Gary Hall (Olympic swimmer), Jay Cutler (professional quarterback ), Mary Tyler Moore (actress),Bobby Clarke ( former professional hockey player) and there are many, many more. Do you think their friends told them what they couldn't do b/c they are T-1 D. Probably, but did they listen. NO !!! They did what they wanted, and so can you.

Comment by Kathleen on March 6, 2013 at 4:48am

I have been lucky enough to always be encouraged to do what I love, despite my condition. And while I wont encourage you to find different friends (I know how hard that can be) I hope you do believe in yourself and trust in yourself enough to know that only you can determine what you "can" and "can't" do. Do what you love, be who you want to be and slowly but surely people will realize that Diabetes never played a factor in the person you have become. Keep smiling and don't let the things people say get you down. Often they are more worried than judgmental. Best of luck!!

Comment by MandiG on March 6, 2013 at 5:17am

Do what you want! Look into Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson....during the pagent she was told she couldn't do it. She even had bad episodes during that time but she won and charity that she highly advocates is Diabetes.....she is a type 1 herself. Plus how good of a feeling it would be to show that you can do whatever anyone else may do, we just have to watch ourselves that much harder, working for our goals that much harder!

Comment by HPNpilot on March 6, 2013 at 6:39am

Do not let them get you down. At the diabetes center I am treated at , they are very insistent that you can do ANYTHING you want to do with T1D. There are athletes, race car drivers, baseball players, physicians, pilots,actors, singers,etc you name it with T1D. Recall Dr. Nat Strand who raced around the world on the Amazing Race and won ? http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/features/nat-strands-amazing-...

You can do it too!

Comment by David (dns) on March 6, 2013 at 10:30am

Best way to show them they're wrong is just to go out and do it. Nothing succeeds like success. Don't let ignorance, no matter how well intentioned, choose your path. Determine that yourself!

Comment by HPNpilot on March 6, 2013 at 5:24pm

One more example of someone doing what they want - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Here is her T1D story:
http://www.diatribe.org/issues/52/logbook

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