I was on my way to see my dying Aunt Becky , but she ended up getting a little better . So I was in the car with my mom , my dad and my grandmother and apparently I was drinking a whole bunch of water and I was the type of two year old that refused to pee on myself . So we stopped at the hospital to see Aunt Becky and then apparently I passed out . So they took me to the children's ward and they did a whole bunch of tests and they found out I had type 1 diabetes .
Speaker 2Welcome back . This is episode number 151 of the Healthy Diabetic Podcast . Before we get started , please remember that nothing that you hear on this podcast be considered medical advice or otherwise . Please always consult your medical team before making any changes to your diabetes management . Okay , we're jumping right in .
Speaker 2So today is episode number two of the Camp Hamway series , a series that I am creating on little . What would you call this ? Segments ? No , not segments . Segments , maybe . Segments , yeah , little segments of conversations that I've had with these just incredible young campers when I was a counselor at Diabetes Camp over the summer . And also , obviously , we'll get some medical people on from camp . We'll get other parents on . I've got some really cool episodes coming up with perspective from the caregiver , from the parents . Those are going to be really fun . But these ones from the campers are just little segments of 10 , 15 , maybe 20 minutes long . So there's a lot of conversations about anything from their diagnosis story , from what they got going on in their life , what their management style is , what they've learned , what they've been struggling with . We get vulnerable . So these episodes are going to be really cool . So I'm really excited for you guys to start hearing the , you know , from the words or from the perspective of these campers .
Speaker 2So let's jump into today's episode . I got to sit down in this episode . We got to sit down with Primaria and her brother Kayel . Primaria is a type one and Kayel is , her brother , a non diabetic , and it was really cool . They're perspective on being siblings , their perspective on each other you know , one being diabetic , one not being diabetic and the perspectives on camp and how that's been going for both of them . Because this is a diabetic . This is from the perspective of a diabetes camp and Kayel's perspective of not being a diabetic . And being able to be there and learn more about diabetes is super valuable to one himself , but also his relationship with his sister . So this is a really good episode , really good conversation . So I can't wait for you guys to listen .
Speaker 2So , without further ado , let's get with Primaria and her brother Kayel . Thank you to you two for being on the show . I was really bummed that we couldn't release the episode last year with both of you talking , so I'm pumped that we're getting a chance to do this again . So , just to start with , won't you both give me your names , give the audience , the listeners , your name and what rock and roll and start from there . Okay , okay , your first girl .
Speaker 1My name's Primaria Parker .
Speaker 3My name's Kayel Lethers . Okay , and we've just膽ed you on podcast .
Speaker 2You are type one , and you're here at camp with your brother , who is not type one . Okay , tell me about that relationship .
Speaker 1Like just our relationship .
Speaker 2Yes tell me about that relationship , how important it's been since you were diagnosed to have your brother . I've seen you guys not for two years . I've got to meet you now for two separate times and it seems like you both are very close .
Speaker 1Yes , we are very close . So growing up he was like really there for me and like he learned as I was going through the motions , and he's still asking questions today , talking about what are ? You doing ? What's that device ? What does it do for you ? So I get to teach him every day what I'm doing . He's really like my emotional support .
Speaker 2I love it .
Speaker 1He really means a lot to me , so that's awesome .
Speaker 2What does it mean , kyle ? What does it mean for you to be able to be an emotional support for your sister ?
Speaker 3I think it's like it's a great thing I always have her back , like especially after she was diagnosed with a type 1 diabetes , and like the worst thing was that , like when she would be like going higher , low , like me , like I wouldn't know what to do because I didn't understand like about it , like what it was , how to take care of it . None of that . But um , yeah , I try to be there , for for anyway , I can .
Speaker 2Yeah , I think when I met you last year , right , and I've realized as we were recording that you weren't type 1 . I thought that was really cool , because you're here at a diabetes camp where 90 probably 99% of the teens and people here are diabetic and you are not . So I think that is really cool that you're able to be here for your sister and meet a bunch of other people as you're here as well . So that's awesome . All right , girl . Um , let's tell us your diagnosis story . When were you diagnosed ? How long you've been diabetic ? Let's hear this story .
Speaker 1Okay , well , I got diagnosed when I was two and a half . I was on my way to see my dying Aunt Becky , but she ended up getting a little better . So I was in the car with my mom , my dad and my grandmother and apparently I was drinking a whole bunch of water and I was the type of two-year-old that refused to pee on myself and I still do Refused to pee on myself .
Speaker 2Well , that's good . I'm glad that you refused to pee on yourself . Now , that's great .
Speaker 1So we always was stopping and it was from Reynoldsburg all the way to Cincinnati , so it was a long drive because we drove slow . His grandmother still drives slow but so we stopped at the hospital to see my Aunt Becky , and then apparently I passed out . So they took me to the Children's Ward and they did a whole bunch of tests and they found out I had type 1 diabetes . And my mom was shocked . She was like I don't really know what to do , because she was a type 2 diabetes , has type 2 and my grandmother has type 2 also , so no one knew what to do with type 1 in the family , yeah . So it was like a huge weight put on their shoulders and I didn't understand until I was about five what was really going on . But my aunt's told me that I would ask how many carbs is it ? This it was . That's pretty much it .
Speaker 2So you're diagnosed at two . Yes , that's crazy . So you're diagnosed at two . How long did it take you to kind of really start taking control and understanding yourself how to deal with the condition ?
Speaker 1Understanding it . I'm still learning . So even after 14 years , I'm definitely still learning . There's always new things to learn about it .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1Controlling it . I didn't take control of it until about three years ago , Myself like all myself , my A1C , all that is on me , and I was like , okay , I'm ready to accept that Cause . I was like it was tired of my mom being like , okay , it's time to change your book . So I'm like I got it myself . Yeah , yeah , so .
Speaker 2I like that Cool .
Speaker 2Yeah , I think that this scenario that you both have going on is incredible , and I particularly love how you're talking specifically about taking ownership , Because I think that is something that we all don't necessarily do when we're first diagnosed A lot of us .
Speaker 2It takes us a long time , me included , to really dive in and believe and understand that this is our journey , not no one else's , not anybody else's .
Speaker 2Yes , if I'm eight years old , or if I'm a young kid or even a young teen like you guys , and I've got a caregiver , my parents are helping me , my parents are keeping me safe , my parents are helping me to learn , but at the end of the day , there's gonna be a point when you eventually take that burden off of your parents and I don't even wanna say burden , because it's not really a burden you take that responsibility back into your hands or into your hands , and that way you're able to roll with it and figure out what works for you , even in a deeper sense , Because if you're diagnosed at two years old and you've had it for 14 years , then you've kind of understood and you're still learning things , but you kind of have been a groove of like okay , this is how my life is working right now .
Speaker 2This is how I'm able to keep my A1C where I want it to be , and that's a powerful thing when you have help . But it's also an important piece to understand that when those reins are given now back to you or to you in this case now it's your job to take over and you're ultimately going to probably figure out a different way that's working
. Right now , Kyle , listening to her story and I'm sure you've heard that story multiple times like what type of feelings do you get when you hear that her continue to tell that story ? Were you part of all that when it happened ?
Speaker 3I don't remember specifically , because I was very young , you was one .
Speaker 2So yes , I was one years old .
Speaker 3I actually , like I grew up not really understanding like none of it , like I would see , like she had the little glucose tablet things that she would be .
Speaker 2So hold on . So you growing up with her , did you try to steal her glucose tablets ?
Speaker 3He did steal them . He didn't try , I did .
Speaker 1Yeah , I was snatching Half of them were gone and I was like where are they ? And he goes . I don't know he has a fist full of her .
Speaker 3I would be so mad when she takes it from me . So I'll be like why , why can't ? I ask him he's like it's just sugar . It's just sugar . Let me guess that's hilarious . But yeah , like the story is like I don't know , Like I don't know how I really like feel about it , Like I just how do you feel about it now , how I feel about it now . Yeah , what do you mean ?
Speaker 2So when you're first , when she was first diagnosed right , you're one years old , you don't . You're not in an emotional state to understand what's going on . Right now that you're older , you're very close with her . I mean , heck , you're here to diabetes camp with her . How do you feel about it now being older ?
Speaker 3It never really like , changed , like how I felt about it , because I've always really had the same feeling , because , like you know , I've always known that she's a Type 1 diabetes since I was younger . But when she finally , when she decided to take me along with her to the camp last year , I got to learn more about the situation and start to feel more about , about like , like how she must have felt what she was going through , what she's diagnosed with that condition .
Speaker 2Yeah , okay , I like that . So now that we're at camp , right , this is your second year right at his second year . How many years have you been coming ?
Speaker 1Well , including the younger version about 14 years . Okay , cool .
Speaker 2So what is the thing ? What ?
Speaker 1what's something that's kind of stuck out to you and has been very impactful for you being at camp definitely the help you get and , like everybody's , diabetes is different , so your diabetes isn't gonna be the same as another girl across the world's diabetes at all , and so , whatever you do what works for you , you have to do that , not what works for other people .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah . What about you , being a non-diabetic , being here ? What things have you learned ?
Speaker 3I learned about carbs , bunch of carbs , the stuff like what certain foods do for you , do for you , how they affect like your blood sugar , and I learned , like you know , taking insulin and Like all the different like levels .
Speaker 2Yeah , nice If you guys could , if you guys had one or two , one to three things . Okay , we'll start with you first . Right , where's one to three things that you could advise or give advice to , maybe someone that's in the same situation a teenager , female , going through a lot of hormonal changes , all stuff , kind of stuff , going on trying to figure everything out , what piece of advice would you give them ?
Speaker 1I would definitely say Don't worry about the world around you , worry about yourself .
Speaker 2I love it .
Speaker 1Really , I'm so serious . Think about you before you think about anybody else . And then I would say Always take someone with you that you know is gonna be there , like my brother , he's always gonna be there and he's always behind the scenes , has my back , helps me , reminds me of things . And then take your insulin and change your sight .
Speaker 2Okay , kyle , what about you ? Coming from sibling non-diabetic ? What could you become kind of advice could you give to that individual ?
Speaker 3I'll say definitely connections , like I feel , like even like knowing someone who's a diabetic or a non-diabetic , like it helps , like knowing someone who , like , knows your condition knows what you have to go through and knows Like how to handle it and someone will always be like with you through it all , because you know humans wear like , very like social .
Speaker 3Creatures we need to . We need to have that connection with each other and you know , licenses like a very like small population of Type 1 diabetes compared to type 2 , like most people associated with type 2 diabetes . Yeah , and like I feel like it's important that the people you're around know like the type of things you need . Yeah , love that man .
Speaker 2Love that Well . I Thank you so much , both of you . This was awesome . I'm so glad I got to connect with both of you again and I can't wait for people to hear your guys' story .
Speaker 1Thank you .
Speaker 2Thank you All right guys . Thank you ["Tune In and Listen In"] . Thank you everyone again for tuning in and listening . These kids are just . They're so amazing in their vulnerability and I'm really excited for you guys to continue to listen to these conversations . And thank you , kyle and Premieria , for coming on the show . It was an absolute pleasure to talk to both of you . Couple last minute things .
Speaker 2Before I let you guys out of here , I just want to remind everybody that if you're listening to these episodes whether it's the campaign wave series or any other episode that I put out and you really feel like the episode is giving you value and you want to share it with someone , I encourage you and really ask you to share the show with someone that you believe is going to get some really good value and be uplifted by these conversations . That's what this podcast is all about . Also , remember that if you're not subscribed to the newsletter and you're really interested in continuing to get tidbits of information and tips and tricks about diabetes and how I manage my management style and how I'm coaching other people to manage their management style , please sign up for the newsletter . The link is in the show notes . Also , if you are interested in possibly working with me , working side by side , partnering with and you're interested in coaching ? I'm always available for coaching .
Speaker 2I've got an amazing 10-week program . I'm developing a nutrition program specifically for diabetics and I'm really excited for these small little master classes that I'm putting together as well . So we've got the 10-week program , which encompasses everything that I coach everybody about , everything I talk about . So please make sure that if you're interested , there's a link in the show notes as well for that . Just reach out , ask me questions about it , schedule a discovery call and let's chat . Let's chat about what you're doing , and even if that discovery call turns into just a conversation , I'm okay with that . That's amazing . I would love to connect with you . So make sure that you guys go on to that in that link more than A1C , or just reach out to me and I'd love to connect . Thank you so much , everybody , for listening and I will see you guys next time .