HELPING OTHERS SAVED ME
IN THE BEGINNING
was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six. I never had any problems, my parents managed my diabetes perfectly and taught me how to manage it too. I fell pregnant when I was 23 and remember being happy and excited at my three-month hospital check-up, until the medical team advised me to consider an abortion. My HbA1c was about 9, which is not ideal for pregnancy. Diabetes-related complications are accelerated by pregnancy and there was a chance I’d lose my eyesight. I was horrified, but I thank God every day that my mother was with me and supported my decision to say no. Today my son, Jacoub, is the reason I haven’t given up on life. He is my life, my world, my everything. After giving birth, I endured four years of laser treatment – alternating eyes every fortnight – with approximately 1200 laser burns to prevent bleeding in the back of my eyes, and ultimately
