A Sister’s Perspective on Type 1 Diabetes
My brother, Carter Fishbach, is one of the strongest people I know. His courage is evident, his determination is prominent, and his resilience is undeniable.
Carter was diagnosed with type one diabetes (T1D) at age 6 on September 11, 2017. At the time, he had an ear infection and was taking amoxicillin. He had a severe reaction to the antibiotic and was rushed to the hospital. In the emergency room, he was given several tests including one for his blood glucose. This number came back unusually high at 238 (normal range is 80-120mg/DL). After several tests, doctors suspected he had diabetes, and Carter was admitted to the hospital. At this point in time his pancreas was still making some insulin, so outside sources of insulin were not needed until almost a year later. None of this made sense to me at the time. I was just scared.
Not long after this memorable night, I went into my parents’ bedroom, and they told me the news that Carter was diagnosed with T1D. As a nervous 10-year-old, I immediately started to panic. Big words like “diagnosis” were swirling around in my head along with doubts about Carter’s ability to live with the disease. At this time, I was not very knowledgeable about diabetes and wasn’t even sure what it meant to have T1D. The only thing I was sure about was that it wasn’t good given how my mom was tearing up as she told me about what was happening. I began to cry as she explained the situation. I was horrified. Carter had to get finger pricked at various moments of the day? He had to be constantly checked on and monitored by my parents? The words soon drifted in one ear and out the other as I became fixated on one thought: Is Carter going to be ok?
Not only was I scared, but I was also mad. I was mad that Carter’s childhood seemed to be ruined in a flash; mad that he was one of the small percentage of people who had to live with T1D for the rest of their life. Why him? Why did this sweet, lively child have to take on this burden?
Something my mom told me in that very moment that vividly stuck with me was it is completely possible to live a successful life with diabetes. She told me famous singer Nick Jonas and NHL hockey star Max Domi both have T1D and were clearly doing better than ever. At that moment I don’t think my mom, or I, really believed it was possible, but Carter completely proved our previous assumptions wrong.
Watching Carter grow and navigate his way past the obstacles that having T1D brings has been truly remarkable. What impresses me the most about Carter is the way he does not let having T1D stop him from achieving his goals or becoming the person he wants to be. He turns each struggle into a strength: his nutritious diet has made him more fit and healthy than most, the check-ins he does on himself have made him more in tune with his body and feelings, and figuring out how much insulin to give himself has given him a larger sense of independence and responsibility. I know he will continue to amaze me for many more years to come.
Being Carter’s sister has taught me to never doubt anyone's capabilities, no matter what challenges they may have. Hearing that someone close to your heart is diagnosed with T1D may seem scary at first, but in my experience, you have to trust the process, trust the doctors (such as the Berrie Center team) and, most of all, trust the person. Make sure that they always know that you are right there with them every step of the way. Learn more about T1D so you can understand it and therefore be more helpful from a medical standpoint. I’ve seen first-hand how living with T1D can make a person and a family incredibly strong and resilient.
Maddie Fishbach, 16, resides in Rye Brook, NY with her parents and her brother Carter.