Meant To Be?

Sometimes I wonder how this happened to me. Of course, there is family history. My grandmother, my mother, my brother. But still, how did it happen to them? If we had all made better choices, would we still have Diabetes?

Growing up, sugar was not a concern. Oh, of course we must have been told at one point or another, "Don't eat too much candy!" But who listens to that? Every major holiday was all about sweets. Easter, Halloween, Christmas. Chocolates galore. Every birthday, cake and ice cream.

We brushed our teeth every day, went for regular dental visits, and never had many cavities. So, we figured everything was okay.

I don't recall my mother reading labels in the grocery store, or choosing one product over another due to its sugar content. Now I know foods were labeled differently back then. It wasn't so easy to compare. But still, somehow I don't think the awareness was really there. Even with family history, we never thought it could happen to us later in life.

We ate any kind of cereal, pastry or snack without thought. My mom packed Twinkies, Ho-ho's and Ding Dongs in our lunches every day. Partly this was because she had a sweet tooth herself. But mostly, these snacks made us happy.

The sugar content in some of these foods is out of this world! And I realize today we have many more choices in the grocery store. Sugar-free alternatives were probably rare. I remember my grandmother always eating Special K cereal, and at that time I thought to myself that it must be the only one safe for her to eat. But that's probably not true.

Before my diagnosis, I found it difficult to understand all the constant talk on television, all the advertising from pharmacies and drug supply companies trying to get people to sign up for Diabetic supplies. I kept asking myself, "Are so many people suddenly becoming Diabetics or does it only seem that way because of this increased awareness?"

It seems possible now to live with a lot less sugar. Was it always possible? Sometimes I wonder if so many foods have so much sugar simply because it sells more. If people buy it and consume it for the taste, then might it encourage creation of even more sugar-laced foods, to create higher profits?

Aside from the whole genetic thing, I keep wondering if all this sugar overload might be turning people into Diabetics who might never have been otherwise. I know it's hard as a parent, to steer kids away from stuff that's bad for them, especially when it's advertised all the time, and their friends are eating the same thing.

An adult might be difficult to convince, even with family history. I used to think of Diabetes as something you either had or you did not. I never had it as a kid, nor in highschool, nor for thirty years after that. Maybe my mother should have told me when she developed Type 2. Maybe I would have considered it a warning sign of something that could happen to me when I reached a certain age. Maybe not.

Knowing what I know now, as a parent, I would at least let my child know it's a possibility, something one should consider in all the daily choices they make. But I don't know if it would make any difference. In my family we had four kids. My mom turned out to have Type 2, my dad did not. So far, two out of four kids are Diabetic. (Of course, the other two are younger, neither having reached the age of 50 yet. Is it inevitable? Only time will tell.)

For me, of course, the point is mute. For whatever reason, because of my genes or my eating habits over so many years, my body now has this condition. I'm still diligently working to regulate my blood sugar. And even though I don't really know if it is possible, I'd like to eventually get off medication. (Turns out I was mistaken. My brother still takes oral med every day.)

When they're young, most people don't worry about such things. Maybe they should. Today we have more choices than ever. Maybe they can avoid this fate while still living a pretty normal life.

Maybe they can avoid one day asking the question: "Was it meant to be?"