Mariabella Czibur

Being diagnosed with diabetes completely changed my life, especially because I had no family history. I am part of the roughly 0.3% of people who develop it without any genetic connection, which made the diagnosis confusing and overwhelming. One day I was healthy, and the next, I was responsible for keeping myself alive through constant monitoring and treatment.

Diabetes is an everyday challenge that never pauses. I make decisions all day long, checking my blood sugar, counting carbohydrates, calculating insulin, and adjusting for stress, sleep, illness, and activity. Even when I do everything correctly, my numbers can still go high or low without warning. Something as normal as a test at school, walking between classes, or not sleeping well can affect my health and ability to focus.

It also affects me overnight. I wake up to alarms, highs, and lows, which leaves me exhausted the next day. Managing diabetes is not just physical, it is mental. There are no days off, and the responsibility follows me everywhere.

Living with diabetes has made me more responsible and self aware, but it is a constant condition I carry every moment of every day.

I advocate because I know what it feels like to be misunderstood. When I was first diagnosed, I did not have clear guidance and many people around me did not understand how serious a chronic condition can be or how much daily effort it takes to manage. I was expected to function like every other student even when my blood sugar made it physically hard to think, focus, or even stay awake. For a long time I stayed quiet because I did not want to be treated differently, but staying quiet only made things harder.

I advocate so students living with any chronic illness do not have to struggle alone or feel like they are asking for special treatment just to stay safe and keep up academically. Accommodations are not advantages, they are medical necessities. Conditions may look different from the outside, but many of us face the same challenges of unpredictability, exhaustion, and needing understanding from the people around us. Most importantly, I advocate because younger students will be diagnosed after me. If I can help create a school environment where health is taken seriously and support is normal, then what I went through can help someone else have an easier experience.