Good morning. My name is Miguel Rémillard. I am 11 years old and I am from Winnipeg. I'm excited to be here to tell you my diabetes story. I'm more excited about the hope for a cure.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was only two and a half years old. It was a hot summer day in August 2003 that my parents will never forget. It changed my life. That's the day I had my first shot of insulin and finger poke. That's the day we had to learn about carbohydrates. It's when we learned about the delicate balancing act of living with diabetes. It's the day my parents started worrying about complications. It's the day my life sentence began.
I have at least 10 finger pokes and at least 4 shots of insulin per day. Some days it's 12 finger pokes and 5 to 6 insulin injections. So far, in my 9 years of living with type 1 diabetes, I have had over 46,000 insulin shots and finger pokes. That's too many pokes. I now do most of my diabetes care myself, like my own insulin shots and fingers pokes. I figure out my insulin dosage based on my blood sugar and how many carbohydrates I eat.
To me, a cure for type 1 diabetes would mean no more pokes and no more insulin shots, no more stopping to check my blood sugar, no more worries of highs or lows, and no more worries about complications. No more annoying bracelets and no more balancing food, insulin, and activities. It would mean no more type 1 diabetes for me and for anyone. I could just be a happy, healthy kid. I have dreams of being a hockey star or an Olympian or a rock star. I dream of being someone's hero. I dream of making new discoveries, of changing the world, and of living to be 90 years old, like my great-grandmother. Most of all I dream of a life without type 1 diabetes.
Thank you.