Hi, my name is Justina, 17 from Pittsburgh. Back in 2000 when i was only 5 years old i was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. At first it was very hard and scary. Being 5 years old and being told this is a weird thing. Having to stay in the hospital for 5 days with doctors coming in at all times puting in different IV'S and all different shots is a change. That young you dont know what that is. When i went to birthday partys with my friends i could never understand why my food was measured or i couldnt have as big of a piece of cake as everyone else. As time went on i grew to understand what was going on and how serious it was. Becoming a teenager was the hardest. Always wanting to be with my friends and feel like them, never want to take my insulin around them. I was always in and out of the hospital from DKA(diabetic keto asidosis). Now that i am 17 almost 18 years old i know how much i need to pay attention to this and how serious it is and how bad it can become if i dont take care of it.

Justina Lueckert
Elizabeth, PA