It all started about a week after school was over in the middle of June. I was going to the hospital for a blood test but I had to be extra careful since the country was in the middle of a pandemic. Although I didn’t know it at the time, catching coronavirus would have just added another miserable thing for me to deal with which makes me glad I took extra precautions to stay safe. I got the blood test and went home, not expecting any unusual results. About an hour later the doctor and my mom picked up the phone so I couldn’t hear what the doctor was saying. After setting down the phone, she quickly hurried into my room and I could tell something was wrong. She then told me that I was going to have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days so I asked her what the doctor said. She then proceeded to tell me that I had diabetes and that my blood sugar level was over 500. At first, I was quite shocked, thinking it was my fault for eating so poorly and not exercising. But I always knew that I have been quite skinny, so I was baffled about what was going on. So I had no choice but to quickly pack up some things that I needed for the next few days and go to the hospital. Once my parents and I arrived, we learned that because of covid, only one parent was allowed to visit at a time. My dad went up first with me into the patient care section on the third floor of the main hospital. We had to wait a while for the doctor to arrive so I got settled into the room. When he arrived he explained a lot to me and my dad while my mother was on the phone so she could listen in as well. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and it would the way I go about my daily life forever. The doctor told me that it just happens and that there was nothing I could have done to prevent it so it wasn’t my fault in any way. I learned about all the new responsibilities that come along with having type 1 diabetes. I also received training on how to check my glucose level and how to administer insulin. I had to stay in the hospital an extra day because my parents could only receive training one at a time. 

I finally got home and went on with my summer until about a month later when I got a toe infection. It wasn’t clear how I received the infection but I went to the hospital to get it fixed. Luckily the procedure was short. All they had to do was use a needle to pop the bubble full of puss and trim down the nail. For the next week, I had to soak my foot in a tub of water and Epsom salt for thirty minutes. I tried to enjoy my summer but I stayed inside the whole time and I was extremely bored. I also looked for volunteer opportunities but I was unable to find any that were still function at the time. 

Earlier in the summer, I talked to a doctor about the dent in my chest otherwise known as pectus excavatum. Although it didn’t greatly affect my physical ability, it just bothered me to see it in the mirror. I learned about the surgery to fix it where there would be a bar inserted in my chest that would push out the hole and make it look normal. I also learned that the best time to receive the surgery is when you are 15 or 16 before your bones start to calcify. I decided to undergo the surgery and the date was set for about a week before the next school year. The procedure was set for seven in the morning and I was supposed to arrive an hour beforehand so I could be briefed on what the surgeons were going to do. I usually stay up really late until about 2:00 am or 3:00 am but I had to get up at 5:00 am so I went to bed early and had a hard time falling asleep. I went to the hospital and they performed the surgery and luckily everything went fine. Compared to other surgeries, the recovery time for the surgery I received was relatively short, so I went home later that same day. At first, it was definitely hard to deal with because my chest was constantly feeling tight and I had to sleep in an upright position. By the time school started I was feeling much better but I still had to refrain from physical activity for three months. Overall it was definitely the worst summer of my life but I got through it and to me, that’s all that counts.