Your Secret Diabetes Superpower

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Your Secret Diabetes Superpower

Megan MuñozContributor: Megan Muñoz, RN, MSN, CMSRN, CDCES
In partnership with

When you come into the medical world for care, you leave gifts behind. Your story. Your experience. Those gifts have long legs. Not only do they shape us as medical personnel, but they also impact our interactions with others living with diabetes. They reform how we talk about diabetes and the people who live with it.

Telling your diabetes story is your secret superpower.

Here are a few of the gifts people with diabetes have left me over the years; stories they shared that have helped me grow into a more gentle, aware, and empathetic human being and certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES). I hope these stories will inspire you to share your story.
**Identifying details and names have been changed to protect privacy.**

"Kaitlyn"
Kaitlyn's dream was to start a family with her husband. Her reality? Insulin rationing, which caused unsafe blood sugar levels for pregnancy. She had fallen between the cracks - making too much money as a full-time EMT to get assistance, yet not enough to afford insulin without forgoing other necessities like food or rent. She sat before me, describing the frustrations of these elements outside her control, and my heart broke for her.
Kaitlyn's gift: Kaitlyn helped me realize that medication rationing steals lives in more ways than one and stops dreams along with heartbeats.

"Robert"
Robert has had type 2 diabetes for decades. He'd taken insulin for years, yet struggled to achieve at-target blood sugar levels. He loved to cut diabetes recipes out of magazines yet was challenged to follow them because most of his food came from food banks. Then he said something I'll never forget: "I feel guilty every time I take insulin - that I didn't do enough to take care of myself."
Robert's gift: Robert opened my eyes to the depth of diabetes stigmas and how damaging our words can be. As a society and healthcare world, we fed his doubt, shame, and guilt - to the point that impacted his ability to care for himself.

"Nancy"
Nancy has lived with type 1 diabetes for over 50 years. She talked about her experiences and the changes she'd seen. Technologies that only seemed like sci-fi ideas when she was young. A life expectancy that meant you didn't plan much for the future - chances were you weren't going to make it to the "golden years." Medications that worked better than the old days: faster or longer, with fewer side effects. Now, facing over half a decade of diabetes, complications are a part of her journey.
Nancy's gift: Nancy didn't mince words, so her gift came direct - complications weren't her fault, and she was tired of getting blamed for developing them. Lack of research on reducing complication risks, different approaches to care, and limitations on testing, technology, and medications in her early years all played a role in her life.

"Sam"
Sam had been diagnosed with a life-limiting disease and was now unable to work. At 56 years old, he was unemployed and living with his mother. He was dead set against using public assistance programs. He was terrified of doctors and terrified of dying. His diabetes management plan consisted of getting over-the-counter generic insulins and dosing them randomly. Without understanding how his insulin worked, he had severe low blood sugars almost daily. Much of the medical team in the hospital was frustrated by his diabetes self-care. What they didn't realize was despite EVERYTHING this man was facing, he still was choosing to be active in his diabetes management.
Sam's gift: Sam reinforced that I should be slow to judge and quick to give someone space for their story. Without that space, labels like "non-compliant" develop, writing someone off when they're so often doing the best they can.

You don't have to be an Instagram star or Supreme Court Justice to make your mark on the world. Sharing your experiences has ripple effects beyond what you could imagine. Keep telling your diabetes story - it's your secret superpower.

Tell your story. Change the world.

Megan Muñoz is the creator and host of Type2andYou with Meg, the first podcast by a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist dedicated to people living with type 2 diabetes. Her passion to reduce diabetes stigmas is evident in her podcasting, content contributions, and live presentations. Megan holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in nursing, along with certifications in medical-surgical nursing and diabetes education. She works with people living with all types of diabetes in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.