my new little friend....O

I was at work today (a very crappy day) and a little piece of light showed up in my life. Some great friends of mine showed up where I work today and I went to say hello and have a little snack with them. My friend M (9 years) and her brother C (7 years) were so excited to see me...as was I of them. C is on the Autism Spectrum and I did therapy with him for almost 3 years throughout my college years. He still brings me complete and utter joy every single time I see him. Here's a recent conversation between C and myself.

I showed up to C's house for a baby shower....he sees me walking up the driveway.

C: "Brigdon, I feel sorry for you!"

Me: "Why do you feel sorry for me, buddy?"

C: "You have diabetes and you have a pump."

Me: "C- you don't have to feel sorry for me, I'm healthy and happy and my pump helps me"

C: pulls my pump out of my pocket (he likes to hold it and look at the buttons) and says- "but you have Diabetes and you used to NOT have it, but now you do"

Me: "C- that's very true, but I'm healthy so you don't have to worry about me."

C: "I still feel sorry for you....see you later....are you going to be okay?"

Me: "Yes C- I'm going to be fine- thanks for being concerned about me, see you soon!"

I absolutely loved this moment. When I started working with C, he did not talk at all and we never thought he would, but now, he won't stop talking, and he's so concerned about everything and everybody...love my little buddy.

So, C and M and their mom show up at my work, and M has a little friend with her....O! O, 9 years old, has Type 1 Diabetes! C informs me of this upon our meeting and tells me that O has a pump. O brings out her bright PINK medtronic pump- soo...

I take out mine and say- "Hey- I have one of those too!" You should have SEEN her eyes light up. She then proceeded to ask me a bizillion questions about Diabetes and my pump. I showed her my CGM and she says- "Oh I'm so jealous of you! My insurance won't cover that!". I felt bad but she was super excited for me to show her my nifty graphs. I think it's kind of sad that a 9 year old knows what her insurance won't cover, but then again, I don't know if she really knows what I showed her.

She told me a little bit about herself, she "got diabetes" when she was 2 and got her pump at the age of 4. She's broken her pump every 2 years which has gotten her the nifty pink pump, which I'm slightly jealous of. She sat there and ate popcorn while M and C had pizza and ice cream- she didn't think twice. I told her "I'll not eat that with you!" She laughed and smiled and asked me a few more questions- "have you been in the hospital?" and "I hate it when I go low, I've passed out 7 times!" She told me about a Diabetes Camp she is attending this summer that she loves (I've now applied to volunteer for the week!). As we sat there, her blood sugar was 444! M and C's mom called O's mom and told her to drink some water and correct with the pump. I could tell she felt really crummy, but she did smile and laugh and she was a little bit of hope in my crazy and stressful day!

I hope to stay in touch with O- she's already my friend.