I've never really been one to celebrate(?) or even keep track of this anniversary. But it would be hard to forget that it was coming up, given the timing... I was 20 at the time, which occurred to me when I turned 30 earlier this year, and my memories of being in NY on September 11 would not be complete without the added feelings of confusion and helplessness from having been diagnosed less than a month before. And I'm too compulsive about dates/numbers and recordkeeping not to be able to figure out the date, once I had it in the back of my mind that it was approaching, and it was ten years ago today.
Looking back, I did not take it very well, and I definitely still have my moments of anger/self pity. And in some ways I feel like I'm still trying to get the hang of it, and often still struggling for optimal control.
But I've tried, and I'm still trying. I'm fortunate enough to have the resources to help with that, and to be able to say that I've had no long-term complications so far - physically, I'm probably in the best shape of my life. So, I have to admit that, whatever else, those are quite a few things to celebrate...
It doesn't seem appropriate to say "Congratulations!" for getting a disease. But I will say congratulations for doing so well with your first 10 years. No diabetic is perfect all the time, but it sounds like things are going well overall. To mark this anniversary we should get a cake and then take bets on who can bolus the most accurately!
Take care. -Jenna