THUNDER BAY - Diabetes is sometimes thought of as an invisible disease, but for those living with the illness, it is visible in every aspect of their lives.
“You can’t really tell that there’s anything wrong with us, so if I didn’t want you to know, you wouldn’t know,” said Bryn Morgan, who has been living with type 1 diabetes for the past 17 years. “I could make it invisible if I wanted, so it doesn’t have any effect on your appearance, but it does have a very profound inside effect on you.”
On Sunday, more than 130 people joined Byrn on the 2017 JDRF Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes at Prince Arthur’s Landing. The 18-year-old Bryn was named this year’s Youth Ambassador.
Jan Morgan, the Walk Coordinator with JDRF Thunder Bay, said last year the walk raised more than $22,000 and she expects to match that total this year.
“Unfortunately, we have quite a few diabetics, type 1 and type 2,” Morgan said. “So we’re all hopeful we don’t have to face the worries of our children who also become adults and have to deal with diabetes all their lives.”
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic disorder that causes the body to not produce enough insulin. The money raised during walks across the country will go toward research and for people living with Type 1 diabetes, treatments have come a long way.
“When I was diagnosed, I took a needle, three different kinds of insulin in one needle,” Bryn said. “When I was six, I got the insulin pump, which is amazing. They are always getting better.”
Jacqui Wheatley, who was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 14-years-old, has seen a lot of improvements in blood sugar testing and treatments. But that still isn’t enough.
“Those are not cures, they just make our lives easier,” she said. “They don’t solve the problem itself.”
Much like Bryn, Wheatley said because diabetes can be managed, people often do not see the severity of the disease or the impact it can have on people’s lives.
“Although it is something where you don’t get sick all the time and you don’t really see being diabetic, but it is something that affects every single moment of every day of my life,” she said. “A lot of people think that because we are able to manage it then that’s fine, we don’t need to find a cure. But it does affect every moment of every person’s life with diabetes. So it’s great to see so many people out here supporting it and trying to find a cure.”
Morgan said Northwestern Ontario does have a higher rate of type 1 and type 2 diabetes compared to the rest of the province and she is excited to see so many people committed to finding a cure.
Wheatley added that she walks for the young people facing a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.
“I don’t want them to have to live their whole life like I’ve had to live mine,” she said.
But for anyone who might be facing a diagnosis or is already living with type 1 diabetes, Bryn said it is important to remember that you are not invisible and you are not alone.
“There are people out there that feel exactly like you do and are willing to help you,” she said. “You just gave to understand that there are consequences if you don’t take care of yourself, but you can totally live a normal life and still do everything you were doing before. It’s just a matter of being educated and having a good support system that makes the transition to a type 1 diabetic a lot easier.”
