The earliest thing I remember
I don't remember life before type 1, because I was a baby when it started. That turns out to be its own kind of normal.
People sometimes ask if I remember being diagnosed. I don't. I was too little. For me there was never a 'before' and an 'after' the way there is for kids who get diagnosed at eight or ten. There was just my life, and finger pokes were part of it like brushing my teeth.
My parents remember though. They remember the scary parts they tried not to let me see. I think a lot of T1D childhood is actually about the grown-ups quietly carrying the fear so the kid can just be a kid.
If you're a parent reading this with a newly diagnosed little one: the kid is probably going to be okay with it faster than you are. That's not a failure on your part. That's just how it works when this is all they've ever known.
Brooke's chapters are personal lived experience shared to make people feel less alone. They are not medical advice and do not describe a treatment plan. Talk to your own care team about your numbers, devices, and decisions.
Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Type1Cure may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships never affect our research coverage, evidence labels, rankings, or safety alerts.