You look good...

I work for a very small company. In all, there are 7 of us. Eight, if you count the guy that rents the spare office. Since we are so small, the medical employee benefits are questionable at best. Luckily I am fully covered by my husband’s insurance plan. With their plan, we are covered by 2 insurance companies. One pays X percentage, and the other pays most of the balance of the bill. It does involve faxing papers and keeping records of who has been reimbursed, but my Type 1 personality (thanks, Lyrehca) easily can handle that. I feel tremendously grateful for, not only for the intensely amazing husband, but for his pretty cool company too.

I think my company is worried at what would happen if I were to get pregnant. Cause you know, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes….. an insulin pump, a renewed commitment to striving for great control, my slightly OCD personality focused completely on diabetes, and a trip to Italy (random but true) and then maybe a baby…

But they don’t know that. So, Mr. President decided to bring in someone to offer short term disability and a host of other additional insurance plans. SCORE! Short term (STD) would be a huge help for me to add to my insurance artillery. I eagerly signed up to meet with the insurance guy. And when he arrived, indeed, he was exactly what I pictured as an insurance salesman. Middle aged, balding and moderately overweight. Because I’ve been down the insurance road before, I immediately offer up my diagnosis and tell him to feel free to skip the spiel for everything but the STD.

He looks at me like he is not sure whether or not to cry or run from the room in fear.

"YOU have diabetes? You must be mistaken."

“Um, no, I’m pretty sure of it. Type 1, almost 25 years, healthy as can be, I can provide my A1c results as proof, if needed” I say with a smile on my face. “So, short term…”

He looks like he is going to say something, so I stop talking.

"WOW, you look good, for, you know, a diabetic"

(Oh, God, I feel a “my great aunt melba died from diabetes” story coming on)

“I mean, just look at you. You’re…. well, you look… well, healthy……. for a diabetic”

Never. Never in my life have I felt the overwhelming urge to attack another human being. What did he expect? Should I be limbless, blind and sickly? Should I not even be allowed to work
because of the “illness”? How ever do I live day to day?! I was appalled. Trying to hold back my innate sarcasm and utter distain for this man, I said “yep, I’m probably the healthiest person here” So, what do I need to do for the Short Term.”

“I feel badly but, sorry lady, people like you, um, you don’t pass our minimum heath requirements”

I got up from the table, and walked back to my desk.

People like me….. Minimum health requirements?

I submit, Exhibit A and Exhibit B

24 years and going strong living with diabetes, healthy, happy, and loving every moment of life, all the while, feeling sorry, for people who just don’t seem to ever have a spark in their eye or spring in their step. While challenging, my diabetes is a part of my reality and my life, in a word, is awesome (in the truest sense of the word)

So, look again Mr. Insurance guy, the only guy I feel badly for in this room, … is you.