The Tightrope in Candyland: A Real Talk About Diabetes

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” – Ernest Hemingway

It starts as a whisper. A little more tired than usual. A thirst that water can’t seem to quench. You chalk it up to stress, a bad night’s sleep, or just a part of getting older. The whispers continue, maybe getting a bit louder—a strange haze in your vision you blame on too much screen time, a few more trips to the bathroom at night. It’s so easy to ignore, to push through, until one day the whispers become a roar you can no longer silence.

This is the story for millions of people whose lives are changed by a single word: Diabetes.

To receive a diagnosis is to be handed a map to a new, daunting, and lifelong territory. It’s a land of numbers, of vigilant calculations, of a constant, humming awareness of your own body that you can never again turn off. It can feel like walking a tightrope in a twisted version of Candyland, where every path is lined with temptation and every step requires a breathtaking act of balance. The emotional weight—the fear, the frustration, the sheer burnout—is often heavier and more isolating than any physical symptom.

Here at Parents Guide to the World, this is a path we’ve seen so many in our community walk. This is our space to have a real talk about it—to share our experiences, arm you with credible information, and hold a light up to remind you that on this tightrope, you are never, ever walking alone.

Our Commitment: We Are Not Doctors
Before we go any further, we need to say this with absolute clarity: We are not doctors, nurses, or medical professionals. The information and experiences we share in this article come from our own lives, the stories of our friends and family, and the collective wisdom of this incredible community. Our goal is to foster understanding and solidarity, not to provide medical advice. A diagnosis of diabetes, or any health concern, requires a partnership with a qualified doctor. Please, talk to your physician about your symptoms, your concerns, and the best treatment options for you.

The Unseen Nation: Understanding the Scope of Diabetes

If you or a loved one is living with diabetes, you are part of an immense and resilient nation. The sheer scale is difficult to comprehend. The CDC's most recent estimates state that 38.4 million people in the United States have diabetes (11.6% of the U.S. population). To put that in perspective, that is more than the entire population of the state of Texas. It is a silent epidemic of strength, affecting our neighbors, our colleagues, and our families. An additional 97.6 million adults aged 18 years or older have prediabetes (38.0% of the adult U.S. population), standing at a critical crossroads for their health.

This vast community is navigating one of three main types, each with its own unique human experience:

• Type 1 Diabetes: An autoimmune condition where the body’s own defenses attack the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It is not caused by diet or lifestyle. It’s a lifelong reality of insulin dependency, often starting in childhood.

• Type 2 Diabetes: The most common form, where the body either resists the effects of insulin or doesn't produce enough. It has strong genetic links but is also influenced by lifestyle.

• Gestational Diabetes: A temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy, requiring careful monitoring to protect both the mother's and baby's health.

Our Story: When the Warning Shot Becomes a Mission

This mission is deeply personal. A few years ago, I was sitting in a doctor’s office when I heard the words that became a turning point: “You are prediabetic.” It wasn't a full diagnosis, but it was a warning shot fired directly across the bow of my life. That moment was a gift—a terrifying one, but a gift nonetheless. It was the catalyst I needed to fundamentally change my relationship with my body and my health.

That personal wake-up call was amplified by my professional life, where I have had the profound honor of caring for people deep in the trenches of their fight with diabetes. I’ve seen the quiet courage it takes to manage this disease day in and day out. I’ve also witnessed the devastating human cost when it’s not managed—the amputations, the kidney failure, the loss of sight. Seeing that reality lit a fire in me. I knew our community, a space built on talking about hard things, had to talk about this.

A Diagnosis for the Whole Family: The Power of Education & Prevention

When one person in a family is diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes, the diagnosis doesn't just belong to them. It lands on the kitchen table and becomes a part of the entire family's conversation. And this, truly, can be a powerful and positive thing. An educated family is the ultimate support system. When your partner, parents, and children understand what you’re going through, the journey becomes infinitely less lonely. They can become allies in your health, understanding the seriousness of a low blood sugar episode or celebrating a stable A1c with you.

More importantly, for many people, you can stop Type 2 diabetes before it starts.

Because Type 2 has a strong genetic component, a diagnosis for one family member is a crucial piece of health information for everyone. It's a chance to re-evaluate the whole family's lifestyle not as a punishment, but as a proactive, loving act of prevention. The healthy changes one person makes can become a blueprint for a healthier future for everyone.

Talking to your kids about this isn't about scaring them. It's about empowering them. It’s about teaching them to be curious about their bodies and the amazing things food does for them. Frame it in their language: food is fuel for playing longer, running faster, and thinking smarter. When you explain that the whole family is choosing more colorful, less sugary foods to stay strong and healthy together, you're not creating fear; you're building a foundation of wellness that will protect them for the rest of their lives.

The Language of Your Body: Recognizing the Signals

Before a diagnosis, your body is often speaking to you, and learning to understand its language is the first step toward advocating for your health. Many of the common signs of diabetes are your body’s clever (though frightening) ways of trying to cope with high blood sugar:

• Increased Thirst & Urination: Your kidneys are working overtime to filter excess sugar, pulling fluids with it and leaving you dehydrated.

• Unexplained Fatigue: Your cells are being starved of the glucose they need for energy, leaving you feeling profoundly tired.

• Blurred Vision: High levels of glucose can pull fluid from the lenses of your eyes, affecting your ability to focus.

• Slow-Healing Sores or Frequent Infections: High blood sugar can impair your body's natural ability to heal.

If these signals sound familiar, it's not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to act. A simple blood test is all it takes to get answers.

The Daily Tightrope & The Weight of a Thousand Decisions

Managing diabetes is a full-time, unpaid, high-stakes job. Those who don't live it often don't see the true weight of it. They see the injection or the finger prick, but they don't see the dozen calculations that came before it. This is the crushing reality of "decision fatigue."

Every single meal becomes a series of complex questions: How many carbs are in this? How will this affect my blood sugar? How much insulin do I need? This relentless mental calculus is exhausting, and it’s no wonder the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recognizes that "people with diabetes are 2 to 3 times more likely to have depression than people without diabetes."

Tools for the Journey: Credible Resources & Support

You do not have to figure this out on your own. There are incredible organizations dedicated to providing support, research, and life-saving information.

• American Diabetes Association (ADA): diabetes.org The nation’s leading organization for all things diabetes.

• Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation): breakthrought1d.org The leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research.

• Beyond Type 1 / Beyond Type 2: beyondtype1.org and beyondtype1.org/type-2-community/ Amazing community-focused organizations that provide practical resources and support.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): nami.org A vital resource for addressing the mental health challenges that can accompany a chronic illness diagnosis.

Wearing Your Story: The Art of Defiance

Here at PGTTW, we believe that art can often say what clinical terms cannot. It can capture the emotional, visceral truth of an experience. That’s why we’ve created a series of designs for our community—not just for awareness, but for validation.

Our designs, visualizes the very real fear of the highs and lows, a spooky landscape where our little guide Gumpory navigates a treacherous path. Our other piece, transforms the tightrope walk into a dark, twisted board game, representing the high-stakes game of survival that management can feel like.

These are not just shirts. They are pieces of art for survivors. They are a way to wear your story, to start a conversation, and to find solidarity with others who are walking the same tightrope.

A diagnosis does not have to be the end of your story. It can be the beginning of a new one—a story of strength, of self-advocacy, and of a resilience you never knew you had. You have the strength to manage this, and a whole community standing right here with you.

Please like and share this article to help spread awareness. In the comments below or in our Facebook group, we’d love to hear from you: what is one thing you wish people understood about living with diabetes?

Thank you for being here. Have a wonderful, healthy day.

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). National Diabetes Statistics Report. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/index.html

2. American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Depression. Mental Health. Retrieved from https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/mental-health/depression

3. National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. (2020). Caregiving in the U.S. 2020. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2020/caregiving-in-the-united-states.html