I've always dreamed of travel. From a young age, I would sit in a laundry basket, attach a helium balloon, and hope for a gust of wind to pick me up and carry me to places far away.
But...
I'm diabetic. And in the 1970's and 1980's, diabetics were discouraged to travel too far outside of their time zone. It would be too difficult to manage my sugars...this was before blood sugar control. In fourth grade, while the rest of my classmates boarded a train for a field trip to the state capitol, I was left behind because too much could go wrong. In college, while the rest of my classmates took a semester abroad, I stayed back because it was too dangerous to my body to acclimate to a time zone across the world.
That didn't keep me from wanting to travel, though.
Fast forward to 2007. Diabetes care had advanced to the point where I was wearing my insulin pump, which gave me great control over my blood sugars. I was talking to the missions coordinator at church, and she suggested I join the next mission to Mexico. "I...I can't." I stammered. She asked me why not, and I told her that I wasn't allowed to travel outside of the country because of my diabetes. She pointed out that another diabetic had taken the same mission just the year before, and did just fine. She suggested I talk to my doctor. When my doctor gave the okay, I realized there was nothing keeping my feet on the ground. From that, my dream of travel became a reality, and now I spend my days dreaming of my next adventure.
From this blog, I will discuss travel from a different perspective...from an "older" traveler who is still young at heart. Join me as I talk about travel resources, tips for older travelers, and much more!
As the French say..."Bon Voyage!"
But...
I'm diabetic. And in the 1970's and 1980's, diabetics were discouraged to travel too far outside of their time zone. It would be too difficult to manage my sugars...this was before blood sugar control. In fourth grade, while the rest of my classmates boarded a train for a field trip to the state capitol, I was left behind because too much could go wrong. In college, while the rest of my classmates took a semester abroad, I stayed back because it was too dangerous to my body to acclimate to a time zone across the world.
That didn't keep me from wanting to travel, though.
Fast forward to 2007. Diabetes care had advanced to the point where I was wearing my insulin pump, which gave me great control over my blood sugars. I was talking to the missions coordinator at church, and she suggested I join the next mission to Mexico. "I...I can't." I stammered. She asked me why not, and I told her that I wasn't allowed to travel outside of the country because of my diabetes. She pointed out that another diabetic had taken the same mission just the year before, and did just fine. She suggested I talk to my doctor. When my doctor gave the okay, I realized there was nothing keeping my feet on the ground. From that, my dream of travel became a reality, and now I spend my days dreaming of my next adventure.
From this blog, I will discuss travel from a different perspective...from an "older" traveler who is still young at heart. Join me as I talk about travel resources, tips for older travelers, and much more!
As the French say..."Bon Voyage!"
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