It Happens

Written April 17, 2021

It happens...

31 years with diabetes.

1,000,000s of diabetes decisions made.

1000s of injections.

1000s of finger pricks.

100s of medical device malfunctions.

100s of out of the box solutions resulted.

1000s of trips.

100s of ski days.

1 new device error.

In my life of adventure the added layer of navigating the trials and tribulations of also living with a chronic disease brings numerous opportunities for me to apply the mastery I have gained over the years.

Things I know:

I am resourceful.

I have support.

I am intelligent.

I excel at thinking outside of the box.

I know the details of diabetes and adventure as well as almost anyone on this planet. Diabetes is NOT my limiting factor.

Today I am skiing with a friend at Mammoth to close out my 2020-2021 ski season. It is a quickie, a 2-day trip. This morning a piece of my diabetes medical system was no longer operable. I went to my diabetes bag and replaced this consumable with a back up I packed. A few hours later while skiing with her, neon onsie & techno music included, I received a notification the back up failed.

Long sigh.

This piece of my medical system is replaced every 10 days. The likelihood of two of them deeming non-operable in a morning span is rare, such as lottery ticket winning rare. But... obviously it happens.

The people out there seeking more details “ to know”, that isn’t the point of this writing. It wasn’t the weather, it wasn’t my skin, it wasn’t my body. It just was two consumables no longer worked, nothing more, nothing less.

I have other levels of back up in my diabetes bag (now back at the condo), all of them removing elements of convenience current technology affords me. This malfunction just took away the advanced aspects of my diabetes system.

As I sat in McCoy Lodge on Mammoth Mountain calling and texting my clinical director, troubleshooting the situation, I looked around and saw dispersed tables and limited dining options. It brought me front and center with appreciation for the skills diabetes has gifted and how quickly many have been asked to develop new skills through this global pandemic.

How many times in the past year people have been fortunate enough to have a “back up” when what they grew to trust was no longer operable. I thought about all those who’s back up failed and they are left asking, “now what?”. I thought of all the teachers asked again and again and again to pivot to a new plan. The elders who ended their lives alone because COVID protocol didn’t allow loved ones near. The marriages that experienced strain beyond repair. The devastation under developed areas are experiencing as the virus continues to take hold in similar and different ways. The frontline healthcare workers risking their lives and separating from their families as we grew to know more about the virus.

A few hours of my ski day were spent troubleshooting. The clinical director and I were not able to correct the error. It wasn’t a critical piece, just a convenient one.

I didn’t expect my day to include this but the view was great, the people around me were joyous, and the memories I have being up here with my kids warmed my heart.

I adjusted what I needed and then got in line at the chairlift. I ended up skiing the rest of the afternoon with the most delightful mountain host I could have imagined. I haven’t laughed that much in a long while, especially while enjoying my favorite mountain.

I’ve had quite an interesting ski season but today was a very enjoyable day, all of it, even the troubleshooting. It gave me appreciation for when it all works.

The picture of me is mid-way down my favorite run off the top of the mountain. I’m not in control of so much of my life but I will continue to create joy when I am able.

#betweendiabetes #health #wellbeing #wellness #mammoth #mammothmountain #skiing #joy #lovewhereyoutravel #diabetes #type1diabetes #diabetesathlete #typeone

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