In the years between early childhood and high adolescence, I spent a lot of time on my bicycle. I loved facing into a breeze with my hair blowing back, pushing off, and standing on the pedals to climb a hill and then sitting for the downward coast. At dusk the neighborhood was quiet and I could hear the adhesive zip of my tires on the road and the click of my gears as I changed them. Around and around I went, mesmerized and free. There were other pleasures. On a lake, my body rested in the top few inches of water, hands and legs...

Last year while pregnant with my third child, I felt unusually tired. I reasoned that taking care of my two sons and growing a third was more than my body could handle. But then I noticed something else—my exhaustion peaked just after meal times. If I ate pizza, pasta, or a bagel, not only did I feel drowsy, but I felt like I had weights attached to my body. Every movement was sluggish, almost impossible. I couldn’t keep up with my daily routine, and my kids were spending time in front of the TV instead of with me. I went from...

Last week I put up an essay here that I wrote about Mike’s type 1 diagnosis.  I wrote the essay before I knew about my own diabetes.  I think quite a bit about the difference between my reaction to Mike’s diagnosis and the reaction I’ve had to my own. When Mike was diagnosed I felt driven to find a cure for him.  I wasn’t prepared to resign him to a life of diabetes.  With my own diagnosis it’s been different.  I haven’t been focused on finding a cure for myself–surprisingly-I’ve...

Below you’ll find an essay I wrote last year for the Financial Times.  I wrote the piece about my husband’s type 1 diabetes diagnosis, the way he took it in stride, and the way I did not.  I wanted to cure him, and I still do.  Since the publication of the essay, I too have been diagnosed with type 1.  I know it’s an unusual situation.  It’s also a frustrating one, about which I have a lot to say.  I offer “The Search For A Sweet Solution” now as background information for my readers, and I will refer to...