I was thinking about today's DBlog Week prompt, and trying to figure out my "biggest diabetes supporter." 

Would it be my mom, who learned to pinch hit as my pancreas before I started second grade, making sure I had a childhood that wasn't owned by diabetes?  Would it be my friends, who instinctively carry tubes of glucose tabs in their glove compartments or purses without even realizing it?  Would it be my pediatric endocrinologist, who never forgot that liking boys and sleep overs at my best friend's house were just as important as blood sugar logs and insulin injections?  Would it be this online community of fellow diabetics, who understand that there's a real life to be lived, even after diagnosis?  Or would my hero be my husband, who has championed my health and made me feel like I was every bit his bride, no matter what the status of my pancreas?

There are so many people who are part of my life with diabetes.  But life is more than all this diabetes stuff.  Diabetes doesn't define me.  (Have I mentioned that before?)  And it doesn't define my relationships, either. 

In my head, diabetes is just one part of the core of who I am.  And the people who support me, and my diabetes "stuff," are part of the scaffolding that keeps me steady.  Diabetes is a constant in my life, but also a constantly shifting priority.  Some days, I don't need much help or care and diabetes maintenance is on the back burner of my life.  Other days, it's a huge part of the day and requires a lot of attention.  And then there are the in between days.  But regardless of how loudly diabetes is fussing on any given day, the people in my life who support me aren't viewing my health as a project we need to constantly discuss or assess.  It's what we do, as a family, almost without thinking. 

And those people I mentioned - my parents, my husband, my friends, my medical team, and you guys - are the permanent scaffolding in my life.  The structure that I almost forget is there sometimes, because it's folded so seamlessly around the rest of my life.  You all help me repair and maintain my health, wrapping neatly around the whole of me and keeping me standing tall and strong.

On the easier days, I take it a bit for granted. 

But on the hard days, I'm able to stand tall, thanks to this support.