Hey Diabetes!

It’s been awhile…

We were 10 years old when you showed up, and honestly my first thought was, “Cool, whatever that means…Time to go back to my regular schedule!!”. I didn’t really know who I was dealing with yet…Thanks for that.

I’ve had a lot of people in my corner since then. My family, specifically my mom, my teammates, my coaches, and all of my people I’ve been able to meet in the diabetes community. I’m grateful for every one of them.

But a lot of managing you comes down to…me. Nobody, at least not anymore, is checking my levels at 2am or making the call before a game, that’s been just me. You have taught me how to handle things on my own and hold myself accountable when nobody’s watching.

That carries over into everything, including how I show up for the people around me. Knowing what it’s like to carry something people can’t always see has made me pay more attention to what others might be going through. I want my teammates, my friends, and the kids I have an impact on, feel like someone has their back, the way so many people have had mine.

You’re surely part of my story, but you are definitely not the whole thing.

With love,

Cooper