A Life-Changing Diagnosis
By Emmet O ’ Sullivan ’ 21
Usually , Memorial Day weekend signals the change of season from spring to summer . But for me in 2020 , it changed my life forever . I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes ( T1D ) on May 26 , 2020 . It was spring of my seventh grade at Saint David ’ s , and I was feeling on top of the world .
I was loving life with my friends outside the classroom , too . I was a three-sport athlete , student council class representative , and an editor of the Canticle school newspaper ; it felt like everything was going my way . So , when I was admitted to the hospital with a blood sugar level of 596 mg / dL ( the normal is 70-120 ), it seemed to me my luck had run out .
That spring , things were a bit off . I had been drinking copious amounts of water , sleeping much longer than usual , going to the bathroom incessantly , experiencing blurry vision — but no one noticed it because things were all out of whack : after all , it was the early days of Covid , and at that time school was remote . I even failed to detect my weight loss because wearing sweatpants daily ( a button-down shirt and tie on the top half , of course !) meant that I never wore my belt , which would have required a few extra holes .
That Memorial Day Monday , as thirsty as I was , I was even more exhausted — too exhausted to pour myself a glass of water . Even at 13 years old , I knew something was clearly wrong . I went down a rabbit hole of googling my symptoms . But , when I self-diagnosed myself with type 1 diabetes and expressed my worry to my parents , I was told was that I likely had Covid 19 . They called the pediatrician and she sent me to the emergency room , and on May 26 , the ER doctors confirmed my suspicions .
People with type 1 diabetes make 320 more decisions every day , or so I was told . But to me , especially in the beginning , it felt like a whole lot more . I was committed to managing the condition independently , and that meant a lot of decisions . From calculating the carb counts of bananas to measuring cups of oatmeal — adjusting for fiber — by the time I entered Regis High School in 2021 I had become something of a nutrition expert .
As a member of the freshman basketball team , my strategy was to eat a granola bar , at least 20 carbohydrates , before my basketball games and have an apple juice for a fast-acting sugar on the bench . Even family trips overseas required military planning , as my nightly 11 p . m . insulin in EST time turned into 4 a . m . when we visited our grandparents in Ireland . I was continually answering questions like “ does it hurt when you inject insulin ” or “ are you sure you can eat that ” or “ how can you have diabetes , you are too thin .” It felt like a burden explaining my condition to friends and strangers ,
Emmet , shown here with Lower School Librarian Gretchen King , visited Saint David ’ s , and read his book to boys in the after school program . especially since I was living with a disease I did not understand myself . For the first couple of years , I resisted publicly discussing my condition as I navigated managing it . I had no support system that I could relate to , only my family and people in lab coats who tried to relate to me .
So , in summer 2023 , I wrote a children ’ s book on type 1 diabetes . Drew Discovers Diabetes is an adventure story that tells the tale of a dinosaur going through the process of recognizing the symptoms , being diagnosed , struggling , and in the end , managing type 1 diabetes . I created Drew Discovers Diabetes to help children and families worldwide recognize common symptoms of T1D and get timely care . I hope that other young people living with T1D , as well as their loved ones , will be inspired by the main character , feel empowered to take control of their health , and discover that diabetes does not have to stop them from living regular lives . Beyond the book , over the past couple of years , I ’ ve been volunteering with a variety of diabetes organizations to mentor and help create relatable support systems for other T1D young people , a commitment I plan to continue . I am donating proceeds from my book to the Diabetes Research Institute to help them , at least in a small way , continue their important work to find that cure . Ultimately , I look forward to seeing a day when there is a cure for T1D . •
Emmet O ’ Sullivan ’ 21 is entering his senior year at Regis High School .
Summer 2024 • 37