This week my 5-year-old daughter will be celebrating her 5th-year diaversary (the day will also mark 9 child-years of Type 1 diabetes in our family).
“Unlimited possibility” is her future, according to Sebastien Sasseville. In his presentation at the Children With Diabetes Focus on Technology conference in Crystal City, Virginia on February 3, 2013, he said people set the bar for themselves and “people need to challenge their perceptions” of what they are able to do.
Seb, who also has a younger brother with Type 1 diabetes, has climbed Mount Everest (carrying his insulin in a thermos), has raced through the Sahara Desert ‘for fun’ to complete the Sahara Race (155 miles in 7 days at 120 degrees) with his test strips and other supplies on his back, and has run 5 ironman triathlons.
I can only imagine how Seb celebrates his diaversary. I don’t think he celebrates with cake. I think he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro backwards or something. I am open to creative ways to celebrate five years of hard work (nine child-years). Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Seb tweets at @sebinspires, and he is a machine for inspiration, too. Here are some of his mantras:
Persistence is required: it’s not the size of our actions but the frequency and quality of our actions.
Educate, prepare, set goals, experiment.
What is the lesson that diabetes is supposed to teach you?
Our individual weaknesses transform to collective strength.