Today’s issue features an interview with a Gozitan teenager who has been living with diabetes since the age of three-and-a-half.
What is striking, on reading her story, is her absolute determination to live as normal a life as possible. Let us forget the medication side of the story, for now. This teenager has to watch what she eats in terms of sugar levels and also has to make allowances for heat, cold, minor illnesses and more. All the little things that we ignore, she has to monitor and plan for.
She loves days out, but must be careful not to tire herself out. Like any other Gozitan, she loves to go out for meals, but she must watch what she eats to ensure that the sugar levels in her body do not drop to low, or go too high.
She must watch what she drinks, not only in terms of alcohol, but also in terms of soft drinks and sugared juices. It is a life of vigilance and planning. Stress also takes its toll on the girl; she speaks about her exams and that the worry of studying for them also affects her blood sugar levels.
The teen also has to take a number of injections every day, just to help her body control the processing of sugar in the blood. Most of us are squeamish and terrified of any type of jab, let alone taking up to six on a daily basis.
The girl also speaks about how life is better now that diabetes is no longer taboo. Only a few years ago, it was stereotyped as being a ‘life sentence’ and something that only obese 50-something year olds could get.
She remembered keeping it hidden for fear of the fallout. She also speaks of the liberation she felt in telling her friends that she suffers from the illness, and that she is no longer regarded as some form of alien species.
Like everything else in life, challenges remain. But things are getting better for sufferers. Medication is available from the state, and there is a specialised clinic and staff to help sufferers monitor their condition and keep it under control.
The teenager did, however, allude that things could be made easier for Gozitans. While there are visits to Gozo by the specialised diabetes staff, these only happen about four times a year, meaning that sufferers have to travel to Malta to get treatment and a check-up. Life is hard enough for diabetics, we should be doing our utmost to help them live as normal a life as possible, and if that means transferring staff to Gozo, or recruiting specialised Gozitan staff, then so be it. We owe this to our citizens.