My oldest son who performs alongside me as a clown and balloon twister, is a Type 1 diabetic (often called “childhood diabetes”), a life threatening disease that mostly curses kids and then haunts them for their entire life. Unlike Type 2 diabetics, who with proper diet, exercise and weight management can beat it, Type 1 diabetics have a defective immune system that prevents the production of insulin by killing the cells. That’s right, the immune system kills the good cells and that is the challenge.
This weekend I got to perform my kids magic shows at a magical birthday for a young 6 year old girl who is a recently diagnosed type 1. She was just like any 6 year old, full of energy, excited and great on stage. She said I was the best kids magician she’s ever seen (of course, I am probably the only kids magician she’s ever seen).
It was fun to see because Type 1 diabetics are just like anyone else. Sure, they need to prick their fingers to check their blood all the time, take shots or wear a pump but it’s just a small hurdle. It was also nice to talk to the parents and share the struggles, the learning curve and the worries we all have.
I was a little bummed my son couldn’t make it, but he was riding for Tour De Cure a bike ride for diabetes.
