Transcend Warrior – Bethany Dvilinskas

April 22, 2020

My Story:

I am an author and write mystery novels, so I decided to write a novel and portrayed the main character as living with Type 1 Diabetes. It is still a mystery novel, but I, and others, can relate to the character because she has diabetes too, which I want for young newly diagnosed children to read about and say, ‘wow, this character is just like me!’ I never read a novel with a character like me before, so I want to change the stigma and get awareness out through my stories.

My Health Details
Type of Diabetes:Type 1
Low blood sugar instances per week:4-5 Instances
Daily number of times checking blood sugar:1-3 times/day
Managing Diabetes with:Insulin Pump
What age were you diagnosed with diabetes?0-5
How long does it typically take you to come up when you are low?1-2 hours
Do you have a diabetic hero that you look up to? If so, who and why?

I don’t have just one person I look up to with diabetes, because truthfully, we are all heroes living with diabetes and should look up to each other for support and guidance. I’ve found that just on social media alone, I have connected and related to many people living with the same disease as me; and for years I thought I was the only one.

What is your biggest challenge with diabetes?

My biggest challenge with diabetes is that I always felt so limited growing up, and now that I’m older, I am still in that mindset because that’s all I know. I don’t like telling people I have diabetes because it brings back the kids in middle and high school making fun of me. I’m slowly learning how to venture out and be able to have fun.

What have you learned from your experiences with diabetes?

I learned how to be strong and tackle anything life throws at you. Some days are good, some days are bad, but I still manage to get through them. Strength and prosperity has helped me a lot throughout my life, and has helped me manage my diabetes better.