My Diabetes Diagnosis Was a Wake-Up Call – Here’s How I Took Back Control

Photo courtesy of Dexcom U Marlee Fray’s journey with Type 1 diabetes began when she was just two and a half years old. Her earliest memories are hazy, but she distinctly remembers her parents’ unwavering support as they managed her condition.  Growing up in a sports-centric household with two brothers—one older, one younger—both close in age, soccer was an inevitable part of her life. Fray’s parents had both played in college, and her younger brother even went professional. Her older brother decided to stop before college, but the love for the sport was deeply ingrained in her family. Although she had been living with diabetes for years, middle school marked the ‘official’ beginning of Fray’s personal battle with diabetes.  “When I was in middle school, the responsibility was handed over to me a bit, so I started learning the ropes of taking care of myself,” Fray shares. “I managed until my teenage years, when I went through a rebellious phase and didn’t want to deal with it. I didn’t take care of myself very well, didn’t want to check my glucose levels, and didn’t want to give myself the correct amount of insulin or any insulin at all.” The neglect...