At the end of every Type 2 summary is a line about the increasing amount of children and young adults being diagnosed. I'm one of those young adults. I was diagnosed on May 6, 2009, with an A1C of 9.3%, at the age of 22.

The first week was horrible, but I soon educated myself and did what I needed to in order to get my numbers under control. I changed my eating habits dramatically, added daily exercise to my schedule, and began regular bg testing. To help with expenses, I also became a patient in a clinical trial.

In the month between my diagnosis and my screening visit for the trial, I dropped 20lbs, and my A1C dropped to 6.7. By the second visit, my A1c was 5.5. I'm 22, and I have a long way to go in life. Diabetes won't be slowing me down.