Tomorrow Tia will complete her “first term” as a diabetic. Four years of high pressure, constant decision making on matters of life and death, extreme attention to detail, non-stop accountability, life in the public eye, intense scrutiny, sleepless nights, and many, many highs and lows.

Unlike presidential campaigns, no one will be waving banners and shouting “Four more years! Four more years!” at the top of their lungs.

Having diabetes is not something Tia complains about almost at all. We have been fortunate to surround ourselves with amazing people and experience many unique opportunities that we would not have had if it weren’t for Tia’s diabetes. She doesn’t feel punished by her diabetes, but it is definitely a burden she would love to shed. 

Tia continues to impress me with her positive attitude. This past week she took a “pump vacation” much to my dismay. But the positive side of it was to see how comfortable she is going back on shots. She  calculated her insulin doses the old fashion way (we did use the pump on occasion!) and gave herself shots anytime anywhere. Even in the middle of the night, she woke up and gave herself a shot rather than let me give it to her. She didn’t even complain about the sting of Lantus like she use to.

Unlike previous years, this year’s dia-birthday will be a low-key event. All she asked for was cheese ravioli for dinner and an Angel Food Cake for dessert. Pretty simple.

Now that we have a Supreme Court Justice with type 1 diabetes, isn’t it time we had a president with T1D too?

Stay tuned for Tia in 2036!