{"id":25885,"date":"2012-03-27T09:46:28","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T13:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=25885"},"modified":"2020-03-09T20:34:02","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T00:34:02","slug":"when-a-tie-that-binds-includes-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=25885","title":{"rendered":"When a Tie That Binds Includes Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week for the\u00a0Diabetes 24-7<\/a> Friday series\u00a0Diabetes Confessions<\/em>\u00a0(a kind of\u00a0Proustian quiz<\/a>\u00a0with a slant towards the sugar-free set) I interviewed Jessica Apple and Michael Aviad, a married couple who created the online diabetes journal ASweetLife in 2009.<\/p>\n

When Jessica and Michael met, neither had been diagnosed with diabetes.\u00a0 Mike was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2002, four years after their marriage and Jessica was diagnosed with type 1 in 2008 after two gestational diabetes diagnoses.\u00a0 Today, the couple have three boys: almost 3, 9 and 11.\u00a0 What are the statistical chances of getting type 1 diabetes\u00a0along with your spouse in your third decade of living?\u00a0 It\u2019s uncanny.\u00a0 Or is it?\u00a0 Perhaps this is the new norm of type 1 diabetes on the rise in the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

When I asked Jessica what it was like living with type 1 diabetes times two, she told me,\u00a0\u201cSometimes running a diabetes lifestyle magazine and living in a home with two type 1 diabetics feels like major diabetes overload.\u00a0 But we\u2019re both doing something we love, it makes us take better care of ourselves, and we hope that we inspire others to do the same.\u00a0 So overall, it\u2019s been a great thing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wow. That\u2019s just the kind of attitude that makes diabetes a little easier to live with.\u00a0 Enjoy the interview below (you\u2019ll see some differences in perspective).<\/p>\n

What is your idea of happiness as it relates to diabetes?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:\u00a0<\/strong>Being able to not think about it for a few hours.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:\u00a0<\/strong>Few highs, few lows, no complications.\u00a0 A1c under 6.2%<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your greatest diabetes fear?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>That our children will get it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The same fear as Jess, and also the fear of not being able to see my children grow up.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the one thing about you that most helps you deal with diabetes?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Good self control.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Self discipline.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the one thing about you that makes managing diabetes more difficult?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>My anxieties.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>I like to drink alcohol.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your greatest diabetes extravagance?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Almond flour.\u00a0 It\u2019s expensive.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Eating a lot of meat is expensive (I don\u2019t eat a lot of carb).<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your favorite diabetes journey?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Pregnancy<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Running marathons<\/em><\/p>\n

What is the one thing you regret associated with diabetes?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>That it took me so long to give up carbs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>I don\u2019t look back.<\/em><\/p>\n

What does the greatest love of your life think about you and diabetes?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

He thinks\u2026\u00a0<\/strong>I love everything about her, even her diabetes.<\/em><\/p>\n

She thinks\u2026\u00a0<\/strong>He\u2019s amazing.\u00a0 He\u2019s brave.\u00a0 He rarely complains.\u00a0 He pushes himself to the limit.<\/em><\/p>\n

What was your saddest moment with regard to your diabetes?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>During my third pregnancy I worked so hard to control my blood sugar.\u00a0 I was really good.\u00a0 After an ultrasound in the third trimester the doctor said, \u201cYou have a typical diabetic\u2019s baby.\u201d\u00a0 He meant that my son\u2019s abdomen was larger than it should have been, and that a c-section would be necessary.\u00a0 I felt like a failure, but also like there was no way to win.\u00a0 I had done everything I was supposed to do, but it hadn\u2019t been enough.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Diagnosis<\/em><\/p>\n

What was your happiest moment with regard to your diabetes?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>That despite diabetes, each of my three sons was born fine.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>When I realized that I could live a healthier life because of diabetes.\u00a0 Diabetes has made me take incredibly good care of myself.<\/em><\/p>\n

What do you consider your greatest diabetes achievement?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>So as not to be repetitive about the pregnancies, I\u2019ll say it\u2019s creating ASweetLife.\u00a0 I\u2019m really proud of the community we\u2019ve built and the content we and our contributors have produced.\u00a0 I feel like we\u2019re helping people.\u00a0 That\u2019s about the nicest feeling in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael: <\/strong>ASweetLife\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>I don\u2019t want to think about that.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019d like to come back as me, but faster.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your most treasured diabetes possession?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>My laptop.\u00a0 It connects me to the diabetes community.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>My pump.<\/em><\/p>\n

What do you most value in your friends?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:\u00a0<\/strong>Honesty. \u00a0Humor.\u00a0 Compassion.\u00a0 And that they\u2019re willing to put up with me!<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Couldn\u2019t say it better than Jess.<\/em><\/p>\n

You have one wish, what do you wish for?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>That\u2019s private.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>To have three more wishes\u00a0:)\u00a0.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your motto?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>I have no life but this. (It\u2019s the title of an Emily Dickinson poem.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>I don\u2019t think I really have a motto, but I do have a saying: Life with diabetes can be very sweet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two things \u2013 Jessica, I want to know what you do with all that almond flour, and second, I know many readers will want to know much more about how to give up and live a carbohydrate-free life, so feel free to ask here in a comment.<\/p>\n

This interview was originally published on Diabetes 24-7.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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