According to my LinkedIn account, this month marks the one-year anniversary of this blog. I’m impressed I kept it going one month, much less a year. But here we are, more than a year since my short book of essays, Sugarcoated, was published, since I graduated with an MFA in writing and publishing, and now a year sharing my trials and tribulations online with you.

It seems fitting to focus on the numbers. I leave their meaning up to you.

1 of three million Type 1 diabetics (T1D) in the U.S.

2 times per week that I plan to spend writing for this blog

2 seizures as a result of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar

3 times per week I think my body may be curing itself, and I no longer have to live with T1D

17 times I change my continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system site per year (this does not count the number of times I re-tape the transmitter so the wire stays beneath my skin)

20 units of insulin I use every day

31 months since I’ve been continuously attached to Gizmo, my insulin pump

85 percent of adults living with T1D in the U.S.

121 times I change my insulin pump injection site per year

730 finger pricks per year

$1,000 – what I paid for Gizmo

1,440 minutes in a day I try not to think about diabetes (most often I don’t realize I’m thinking about it – it’s so ingrained in the everyday)

$1,900 co-pay or the amount I am budgeting to spend on diabetes supplies next year (as long as Gizmo doesn’t break since the warranty ends soon – this number also does not include insurance premiums, doctor’s visits, and lab tests).

1,975 days since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes

2,190 finger pricks per year prior to Cosmo, my CGM

$6,000 – the market cost of Gizmo

10,150 days I’ve been alive on this Earth

Infinity – the endless support of family, friends, and associates who never judge me for my diabetes or ask why – they simply say, “what I can do?” These moments make me cry, laugh, and smile all at the same time. Thank you for your continued support.