Diabetes,

Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance. 3 months before my 21st birthday, and you casually strolled in after almost pushing me over the edge. There I was in that hospital, broken, a shadow of my former self, and still you only told me all the bad things at that point. The daily struggle, the pain, the mental load, the potential complications.

But you never told me about any of the good stuff. You never told me that learning to cope with you would be the beginning of my journey of self-confidence. That realising I could manage you, one of the most difficult things I was ever going to be faced with, would make me realise that I could do anything.

You never told me that you were going to be the reason I was introduced to a community that became so much a part of my life, they're like family. That with their support, I was going to grow, become stronger, more resilient, more understanding, and more capable than I ever dreamed I would be.

Because of you, I did things I never thought I would. I've designed clothes, been on the cover of magazines, interviewed by the BBC, gone viral, travelled the world, and even won a reality show. Not so bad for a girl who used to tell herself she couldn't do things before she ever tried. Nowadays, I host a podcast in your honour, and I interview all the other incredible people from this community who deal with you on a daily basis, and guess what? They're all living their best lives too.

I'm not going to lie - you're still scary, and you're constantly exhausting. But I guess you're like most monsters. Everyone knows you're bad, but… I've lived with you long enough to see the good in you now, too.

Forever yours (or are you forever mine?),

Natalie