The "'One Terrific Granddaughter!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got off the phone with my granddaughter Courtney who was Carol and my first grandchild and was born in 2002 to our daughter, Brynn and son-in-law Dave.  She is a senior in high school in nearby Urbana, Maryland, about two hours from our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Courtney will soon be 18 years old and will be heading off to college.  This intelligent young woman has chosen nursing as her choice of careers and is searching for a college that will offer nursing in their curriculum.  One of the main reasons for her choice of possible careers is the fact that at the age of 8, she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, aka Juvenile Diabetes.  Being this is World Diabetes Awareness Month, our daughter Brynn posted a story about her daughter Courtney on her Facebook Page that reads:

 This girl is so strong, brave, and mature. 9 years of living with Type 1 diabetes is 3,285 days of finger pricks, shots, pump site changes, CGM site changes, lots of highs and lows, and plenty of tears (from mom too).  She reached a diabetic management goal her endocrinologist set for her this summer, and she was able to get the tattoo she has been wanting. It means I AM GREATER THAN MY HIGHS AND LOWS.  All of her interactions with health care providers has brought her to the decision that she wants to become a nurse. She even got to remove the drain from her dad's recent neck surgery.  She was awesome!  She doesn't like to talk about it, and she doesn't share her struggles with many.  The thing about T1D is you would never know by looking at her that she makes life and death decisions everyday. We have said from day one that she IS diabetic, she doesn't HAVE diabetes. It is a disease with no cure, but it does not define her.

Top left - Courtney; Top right - Tattoo
 meaning "I am greater than my
highs and lows"; Bottom: Courtney
taking the drain from her father's
neck.  Click to enlarge!

Brynn's story about her daughter brought tears to my eyes.  Courtney is no average young woman.  She is a super young adult who will be an asset to any medical practice when she becomes a nurse being that she can understand the problems of those who face Type 1 diabetes on a daily basis.  Being diabetic can be emotionally draining and cause fear, anger and frustration.  But there are steps that can be taken to relieve those stress levels and anxiety.  Someone who has had to endure diabetes as long as Courtney will be able to help those with the incurable disease cope with it when she becomes a nurse.   A good support system is essential to coping with type 1 diabetes and having a nurse who can understand and who has lived with the same disease most of her life will be a definite help to any patient.  The theme for diabetes awareness month and World Diabetes Day this year is Family and Diabetes.  Courtney's immediate family has been living with the disease along with her, but only she experiences the effects of the disease on a daily basis.  Picking nursing as a career will help not only her, but those to whom she nurses.  Carol and I wish her the best as she decides upon a school to become a nurse.  And, a good nurse she will be someday!  How could a good-looking young woman such as Courtney be anything but the best!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.