I’m participating in WEGO Health’s National Health Blog Post Month (#NHBPM) during the month of November. I’ll be writing 30 posts in 30 days based on the prompts they supply. Learn more here. Wish me luck!
Today’s prompt: “Write about a time you had to take the high road…”
I had to call my mom to get some help remembering this story, so it’s going to be a bit vague. Thanks Mom, for reminiscing with me!
When I was in high school, there was one teacher that was known as the ultimate asshole. If he even saw the outline of a cell phone in your pocket, you and your phone were sent out of class and you didn’t get your phone back until the end of the day. There was a strict no cell phone policy, and he was the enforcer.
Insulin pumps look a bit like cell phones or beepers. See where this is going?
One day as I was walking past his classroom during a class change, he spotted my pump. I think I was walking while bolusing (not as dangerous as walking while texting?), but it might have been clipped to my pocket, facing out. I can’t remember. The point is that, when he saw it, he snatched it from me. Yep, a grown man grabbed my insulin pump from me and tried to take it.
Quickly, I pulled my tubing and got it back from him, clumsily explaining that I have diabetes and it wasn’t a cell phone. I think that’s when he realized that the pump was attached to me. Luckily, he didn’t rip my set out. I was so shocked, I took the high road by default. I scurried away without much of a scene.. or much of an apology from him, for that matter.
Not every teacher at my school was an asshole though. In fact, most were not. There was a computer teacher that I was very fond of, and she caught wind of what happened. Even though I was so shocked that I didn’t really stand up for myself, she was upset enough to stand up for me. At the next staff meeting, she addressed the entire faculty, explaining diabetes and my insulin pump.
Normally, I’m not so shocked that I take the high road by default. I guess in this situation, it paid off. The high-road was a path to gaining an advocate, who educated a room full of people about those of us who live with type 1 diabetes. Everything happens for a reason.
life: one unit at a time 