Transcend Warrior – Madison Novak
November 19, 2019
My Story:
“You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.” Diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death since 2015 and is estimated that 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed every year, according to the American Diabetes Association. Here is the story of how I moved my mountain with Type 1 Diabetes. To start this diabetic journey, I was 11. Innocent, pure, anxious, and so reserved just starting sixth grade at Riverside Middle School in Watertown, Wisconsin. Meeting new people and trying to fit in to maybe make new friends was not really in my forte. We can all look back to those days. For some people, it was fine, fun good ole’ days, but for me, it was the worst years of my life. Each new day got better and each year improved me, but beginning in a new foreign school was very scary. The teachers were nice, fun, outgoing, and tried so hard to get me out of my introvert shell. I felt alone, small and petrified. I did not think I was going to make it. I honestly wished it was over or that I could be homeschooled. Now the journey begins, one night before I went to bed I decided to pray. “Father, please help me, please make me sick or let something happen to me so I can miss school. I hate it so much and don’t wanna go back anymore. Please help. I love you. Amen.”
Almost a week or two later after repeating the same prayer every night, I went for an appointment for my doctor to run a few blood tests and when then results came back my pediatrician diagnosed me with Type One Diabetes Mellitus or as most people know just Type One Diabetes. My mother was scared, but putting on a brave face for me, but as an 11-year-old kid I hadn’t really processed why everyone was so shaken up. All I could think about was he heard me, God heard me and answered my prayer. He is absolute and my faith in him increased so much more since then. I got to stay at St. Mary’s hospital in Madison for about three days and got to miss a week of school, but then I had to go back. Continuing with this new chapter of middle school and now with this new chronic disease, it was just a learning curve wake up call that God had a reason to give me. Diabetes is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs, however, it is your choice to scream or enjoy the ride. I have been enjoying the ride for about a decade now.
After about six years of having this chronic disease, I had many questions and doubt as to why this disease? Why did God give me this exact illness? With the pricking of my fingers to test my blood sugar, needles to give myself insulin, trying to count the carbs of everything I eat and just the price of it all, let me tell you it is just horrible and I’m a very optimistic person. How can anybody survive this? I had given up and became very careless with my diabetes and everything became very uncontrollable. My Endocrinologist was getting very flustered with me but I just wasn’t taking his severe medical advice seriously. I had gone down in a deep hole and couldn’t get back up to fix it. I was wrecking my body, my temple, my soul, the vessel God had given me with my uncontrolled diabetes. I was in a very low place and was very anxious that I wasn’t gonna move this mountain. Thereupon I turned back to God. I prayed to ask him for help and for answers. After saying thank you for everything I had even this disease, I asked him to help fix me, to help me out of this hole and for a reason as to why this disease. After praying the same prayer every night and after every new day, I was slowly inching my way slowly out of this deep hole I put myself in. Then after about three years, still slowly inching my self out if this hole with every brand new day, I met a guy, who I am still with to this day. He is the most tender-hearted, funny and caring guy, who loves to go to the gym every day to weight lift. I fell in love with this big tough-looking teddy bear and he cares so much for me and wants to see me thrive in life. So I decided to make my pace of moving out of this hole a lot faster, so I can be healthy and living all life’s adventures with the guy I love.
Then after about almost a year, at one of my endocrinologist appointments, I set out to purchase a Dexcom G6. This little device helps me control my blood sugar without pricking my fingers anymore. The Dexcom G6 is a device that is inserted in your arm, stomach or thighs, like an iv and takes the blood into the device and reads your blood sugar and sends the reading to the little phone that comes with it and to your phone through the Dexcom app. The device is a continual, so I always have a reading. No more guessing in between finger pricks, I always know whats going on and then I can fix it quicker. The device is super helpful with the job I have now. That was about 5 months ago that I had gotten this device and let me just say my prayers were answered and I’m completely out of the hole I had put on my body, on my soul and on to a healthier, controlled life with Type One Diabetes. Through God and through the love I had prayed to also find, I actually made it out and living the best life with my boyfriend and my father in heaven, both at my side. Also, my family helping me with every breakthrough and never giving up. My A1C, which is an average of your blood sugar over the past three months, had gone down from 8.5 and higher to 7.7. God had saved me, he fixed me in his own miraculous way.
Along with this, I have finally accepted and figured out the reason why he gave me this exact chronic disease and what I think my purpose is in this life. He gave me this disease to show me how to be my own independent person. To be me, my bubbly, optimistic self and to not be shy about it. He taught me to not fear, for the reason that diabetes can be a scary, overwhelming disease. I was so frightened of giving myself insulin injections in my tummy, but through God, he held my hand through it all, some would say he was trying to teach me bravery. He was also trying to teach me strength and how with him, I will always have the strength for anything that this disease or life tries to force on me. “But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength” (Timothy 4:17). He was also trying to teach me courage, to be confident and that I can do anything, even though not everything comes easy, however, I can move this mountain. In addition, my purpose in this life is to help people and everyone around them and as an EMT and CNA, I am well on my way to doing that. With that, I am also here to be a Type One Diabetes advocate and to show how I can move mountains with a smile. Everything that I had gone through on this diabetic journey was all for a reason, for good reasons and there may be more that I don’t even know, but with God anything is possible, you can move mountains. God promises to make something good out of the storms that bring devastation to your life, and he has made something good and I thank him every night for giving me this disease and I ask for his forgiveness for having doubt in him before, for the reason that I had no idea what I would be missing. He has created my purpose. He made me his warrior. His fighter. He gave me hope. He has taught Diabetes is a dance you learn as you go. I have Type One Diabetes, Type One Diabetes doesn’t have me.
My Health Details
Type of Diabetes:Type 1
Low blood sugar instances per week:4-5 Instances
Daily number of times checking blood sugar:7+ times/day
Managing Diabetes with:Insulin Shots
You can find Madison on Instagram at @maddie_typeonederful