I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 7 years ago. As a mother with 3 young children, I was
thrilled with the sudden weight loss and thought that my unquenchable thirst
was due to the fact that I didn't take the time to drink my 8 glasses of water
during the day. I have always exercised
and eaten a well balanced diet, so I was blind-sided by the diagnosis of such a
serious chronic disease.
I made it a point not to feel sorry for myself and was
determined to manage my diabetes with multiple injections of insulin, daily
exercise, and a positive attitude. Basically, it was up to me to take care of
this --no one else could do it. I wasn't going to define myself as
diabetic. I preferred to think of myself
as a 40-year-old mother who has blue eyes, blonde hair, and diabetes. Diabetes
was just one of many ways to describe who I was.
However, I felt very alone. I didn't know much about
diabetes, and didn't know anyone who had type 1 diabetes. When a friend of
mine's daughter was diagnosed a year after I was, she introduced me to an
organization in support of type 1 diabetes.
Shortly after becoming involved with this organization,
my husband suggested that we could raise funds for diabetes research if we
created a DRIVE OUT DIABETES specialty revenue-sharing license plate in
Virginia. Through sales of this license
plate, we could raise money for research and at the same time raise public
awareness about the many people and families affected by diabetes.
We are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the DRIVE
OUT DIABETES license plate. Initially my friends, family, and the
organization's Board members were the ones that bought the license plates. The overwhelming support and love from my
community is the reason the license plate was put into production.
I still get a thrill when I see a car drive by with this
license plate. This plate is a tangible
sign of the support and love that I feel around me. It gives me continued hope
that we will find a cure and motivates me to do all I can to remain healthy, so
I'm ready when that day comes.
Eva C, 48
Richmond, VA
133518