{"id":48723,"date":"2018-03-22T12:39:40","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T16:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723"},"modified":"2018-03-22T12:39:40","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T16:39:40","slug":"do-you-celebrate-your-diabetes-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723","title":{"rendered":"Do You Celebrate Your Diabetes Anniversary?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you remember the date you were diagnosed with diabetes?\u00a0 Is there a pancreas-shaped mylar balloon that we can blow up and tie to our breakfast chair, in order to mark the day?\u00a0 (Quick Google search \u2013 no balloon found.)\u00a0 Many in the diabetes community call that diagnosis date their diabetes anniversary, or \u201cdiaversary<\/a>,\u201d for short.\u00a0 For some people, this moment is clearly marked on their mental calendars, while others don\u2019t note their diagnosis date at all.\u00a0 It can be a bittersweet acknowledgement, putting the diabetes notches on our belts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We talked with the ASweetLife community on Facebook to see if celebrating their diaversary was a thing.\u00a0 The responses were either a proud yes<\/a> or a hell no, with little in between.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYes we do! We use it as a day to celebrate her strength.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll probably remember it but not really celebrate.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is acknowledged in some small fun way. He deserves some recognition for another year fighting and thriving in life!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEven if I remembered what day it was, I wouldn’t. After 20+ years it just becomes normal life, so there’s nothing special to really celebrate. It’s like celebrating Thursdays to me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI will not celebrate a curse.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t any rules about how you mark your diabetes anniversary, if you mark it at all.\u00a0 There\u2019s no rule book when it comes to living with diabetes, and people develop individualized plans to best manage their own conditions.\u00a0 There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all approach to any of this.<\/p>\n

But for me?\u00a0 I\u2019m a celebrator.\u00a0 I like to give a nod to the day, or sometimes a middle finger to it, depending on how I\u2019m feeling, but the day never goes by unnoticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My type 1 diabetes diagnosis was in September of 1986, just as second grade was starting.\u00a0 My parents confirmed that the exact date was the 11th<\/sup>, and for a long time I didn\u2019t care about commemorating or celebrating the anniversary of my diagnosis.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until I was a few decades into diabetes \u2013 around the 20 year mark \u2013 that I felt the urge to celebrate.\u00a0 And it wasn\u2019t about celebrating the diabetes (because I still am not a fan) but more about celebrating the life I\u2019ve built despite, because of, and simultaneously unrelated to diabetes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have a diaversary party.\u00a0 We don\u2019t send cards to my pancreas.\u00a0 (One year, my husband purchased a Fudgy the Whale ice cream cake and wrote \u201cType 1 Diabetes\u201d on it and we destroyed it with spoons, but that was an exceptionally odd moment.)\u00a0 And sometimes \u201ccelebrating\u201d the day is simply my husband giving my shoulder an extra squeeze in the morning, letting me know that he knows how hard I\u2019m working.\u00a0 Or my daughter asking me how many years I\u2019ve had diabetes but then adding, \u201cYou\u2019re making it look easy, mom!!\u201d\u00a0 (And then I give her money, because clearly she\u2019s earned it.) \u00a0Or me, looking at myself and knowing that I\u2019m defying odds and kicking butt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But we do acknowledge the date because it is proof that I\u2019ve cleared another hurdle, reached another milestone, achieved another rotation of 365 days of making diabetes the thing that drives me instead of the thing that runs me over.\u00a0 Celebrating my diaversary is about repeatedly proving to myself that there is life after diagnosis, and it can be a good one \u2026 even if there\u2019s no pancreas-shaped balloon.\u00a0 Yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":48737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1435],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo You Celebrate Your Diabetes Anniversary?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you remember the date you were diagnosed with diabetes?\u00a0Many in the diabetes community call that diagnosis date their diabetes anniversary, or \u201cdiaversary,\u201d for short....\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kerri Sparling\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723\",\"name\":\"Do You Celebrate Your Diabetes Anniversary?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/iStock_Party-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-22T16:39:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-22T16:39:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/dabf0a8f20657e79358a5ec2321e49be\"},\"description\":\"Do you remember the date you were diagnosed with diabetes?\u00a0Many in the diabetes community call that diagnosis date their diabetes anniversary, or \u201cdiaversary,\u201d for short....\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/iStock_Party-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/iStock_Party-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1899},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Do You Celebrate Your Diabetes Anniversary?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\",\"name\":\"ASweetLife\",\"description\":\"The Diabetes Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/dabf0a8f20657e79358a5ec2321e49be\",\"name\":\"Kerri Sparling\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07edc630d8c2e670dad89b013e12dd41?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07edc630d8c2e670dad89b013e12dd41?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kerri Sparling\"},\"description\":\"Kerri Sparling has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1986 and writes the diabetes blog www.SixUntilMe.com. She believes in diabetes advocacy, patient empowerment, and strong coffee. Kerri lives in Rhode Island with her husband, her daughter, and an unfortunate army of cats.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?author=62\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Do You Celebrate Your Diabetes Anniversary?","description":"Do you remember the date you were diagnosed with diabetes?\u00a0Many in the diabetes community call that diagnosis date their diabetes anniversary, or \u201cdiaversary,\u201d for short....","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kerri Sparling","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723","name":"Do You Celebrate Your Diabetes Anniversary?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/iStock_Party-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-22T16:39:40+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-22T16:39:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/dabf0a8f20657e79358a5ec2321e49be"},"description":"Do you remember the date you were diagnosed with diabetes?\u00a0Many in the diabetes community call that diagnosis date their diabetes anniversary, or \u201cdiaversary,\u201d for short....","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/iStock_Party-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/iStock_Party-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1899},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=48723#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Do You Celebrate Your Diabetes Anniversary?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/","name":"ASweetLife","description":"The Diabetes Magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/dabf0a8f20657e79358a5ec2321e49be","name":"Kerri Sparling","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07edc630d8c2e670dad89b013e12dd41?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07edc630d8c2e670dad89b013e12dd41?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kerri Sparling"},"description":"Kerri Sparling has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1986 and writes the diabetes blog www.SixUntilMe.com. She believes in diabetes advocacy, patient empowerment, and strong coffee. Kerri lives in Rhode Island with her husband, her daughter, and an unfortunate army of cats.","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?author=62"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48723"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48723"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48736,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48723\/revisions\/48736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}