What is wrong with her?

I have lost count how many times I have heard this question. What is wrong with her? I constantly have to give an explanation that there is nothing wrong with my daughter. Her body just works differently. I have heard many people refer to her as a sick child. And I wonder really, if they're right. Most of the time, I tell myself that she's not sick. And I have also wondered if, at times, this is just me, as a mother, in denial. However, the more and more I get educated about my daughters condition... I realize that there's really nothing wrong with her. Her body truly just works differently. I times it seems like the whole concept of "working differently" is too much to bear for some. I think it is also too much for other people to digest.

But as time has gone by, I have come to the understanding that it is not something that I should be worried about. How she is and who she is, is just how things are meant to be. A few months before my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, I learned, the hard way, that it is useless to try to understand why things happen in this life. Most things that really shock us or simply challenge our vision of who we are and what our lives are, are... nonsensical!None of these things, should not happen, according to us. Therefore, for a while now, I have learned that there is no point to trying to figure out the formula of why things happen and when they happen.

Just yesterday, I had the opportunity to answer this very same question that I have been answering for 10 months now. What is wrong with her? And I love the fact that it came from a child. This child, who I will call Mary, for privacy purposes, is a girl that I absolutely love. This is not the first time a child that I love asked me this question.  I have thoroughly enjoyed explaining Type 1 Diabetes to children, in the most basic way. What is wonderful about this opportunity, is that there is no guile, there is no ulterior motive, there is no discrimination, there is absolutely nothing but pure curiosity to understand the reason why my daughter was being poked on her finger. I love these opportunities! I also love the fact that, because I am surrounded by so many children on a regular basis, I get to have this conversation with them. As a mom, I'd like to feel like I'm educating my daughter's future best friends. As a member of this "exclusive community", human being, and parent and spouse of Type 1 Diabetics, I would like to think that I am teaching and educating the next generation. For so long it seems like there was so little information out there available to the people around us, and that is the reason why so many people wondered... What is wrong with daughter? I have learned to easily explain that there's small part of my daughter, inside her, that needs a little help. I would like to think that most of us think there's nothing wrong with getting a little help once in awhile.

So, nowadays, when I am faced with the questions about the kind of help my daughter needs, and why it needs to be in the form of a poke on her finger, an injection on her bum, I feel at peace. I feel at peace knowing, that she has the help she needs; That because of those pokes and injections she will be a healthy adult. And that the fact that she has to be poked, or injected, has absolutely nothing to do with her value for her capability.

And finally, when faced with the question what is wrong with my daughter? The only thing I can think of is to say: nothing. She is absolutely perfect.