Age: 30 Year Diagnosed: 1999 Location: Huntington Beach, Ca
“On my diagnosis day, my mom came to school with tears in her eyes. My 3rd grade teacher spoke to her outside, and she came in sobbing to dismiss me from class. My initial nonchalant thought was “whelp... I must be dying.” My mom told me I had diabetes, and we had to go home to pack a bag for the hospital. I felt more excited for something new than scared in the moment. When we were home packing supplies for the hospital I saw my mom bought the first box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies of the season (my favorite). I obviously asked for some before we left, and my mom said with tears welling “ you can’t eat cookies ever again......” That was the moment the fear of what was to come kicked in! No more cookies for the rest of my life was scarier than the word diabetes and the tears of both my mom and teacher. In the hospital, my very first question to the Doctor was, “Can I ever have a cookie again?” I was pleased to find out that I could!
Diabetes has never been my identity. Early on I made the decision that I would not be prevented from doing anything I wanted because of my disease. Sure I cannot drink Slurpees and eat cookies all day, but with great control of my diabetes, I have never felt held back. Playing sports, traveling the world, climbing mountains, having a son, owning a business and finding love are some of the things I wanted to do. Yes, I have diabetes. Yes, it’s well controlled. No, it doesn’t define me because I am Brandon Snook. I will never be held back!
Trust your child. The worst “low” incident of my life occurred soon after my mom said “you aren’t low... we had S’mores last night.” My meter was too cold to check my blood sugar and I trusted my mom more than my body at 10 years old. Something so scary could have been easily avoided! Also, allow your child to be independent. Early on, my parents let me own my diabetes/care by giving me the freedom to do so. Of course there was always the check ins, but I was the one leading the way from the beginning. It led to me becoming a successful diabetic as an adult.”