When my parents died, they both were 47, and they died of complications of different diseases, one being diabetes. I became a diabetic at 17 and went on this road of kind of self-destruction, eating-wise, until I was 40.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
When my parents died they both were 47, and they died of complications of different diseases; one being diabetes.
I was 19 when my father died from a heart attack. He was a 55-year-old college professor and had led what was by all appearances a risk-free life. But he was overweight, and heart disease runs in our family.
My dad had an aunt at the turn of the century who died from diabetes, but she was the closest affected relative in my family.
I got Type 1 diabetes at 30. It hit me in 1982 when I was a White House Fellow in Washington. I had viral pneumonia. I lost 35 pounds in six weeks. And I couldn't see anything. Everything was blurry. I was always thirsty.
When my father died, I was 21, and he'd been sick for a few years. He changed during his illness. He kind of softened during it.
My mom died when I was 11 years old.
When I was young, my parents were these titanic, infallible figures. But Mum's illness and Dad's battles with diabetes and heart attacks had a ripple effect on me - reminding me of my own mortality and that these illnesses are genetic.
When my mother passed away I was 20.
My dad died when he was 60. I was only 17 and I think, psychologically, that had a huge impact on me, probably more than I realised.
I was 13 when I developed the classic symptoms of a person who gets diabetes: a lot of weight loss, a tremendous thirst, and blurry eyesight. My mom took me to the hospital, and the doctors took some blood tests. My blood sugar was so high that they knew right away.