Perspective/ Type 1 Diabetes

Courtesy photo The Seitles family.

A lot has happened since I started writing my monthly column in The Hammonton Gazette—”Perspective: Type 1 Diabetes” (T1). I began soon after our then 5-year-old son Casey was diagnosed with T1 in March 2021. His diagnosis completely changed his life, and ours too.

My articles chronicle the first three years of our lifelong journey with T1: the initial impact, what we learned as we struggled and how we are faring now. My aim has been to spread awareness of this life-threatening condition, and to help other T1 families living with its relentless daily demands. To do so, I have joined our personal ups and downs in keeping Casey safe and healthy to crucial medical information we’ve acquired along the way that could help others.

Casey and others facing T1’s challenges have been my inspiration. Although I will never know who has read my articles or the countries they have traveled to online, I hope all readers have benefitted in some way whether or not they know someone with T1.

I am writing now to let you know I am taking a sabbatical from writing my column. I feel a huge loss stepping back from it, because it has been such a significant part of my life, and the feedback I have gotten has sustained me and my family beyond measure. I cannot thank The Hammonton Gazette enough for supporting my contributions, nor can I adequately express how much that opportunity has enriched my life and my family’s.

My next goal is to undertake a project that will help T1 families further, and I can’t do that and the column too. Although I wrote all my columns to stand on their own, each is a chapter in a longer tale. Together they tell the story of a family, especially of a little boy, whose world fell apart, but who began picking up the pieces and reshaping their future. But they did not do it alone. This is therefore also the story of how communities can rally to support others when they need it most. I can tell that fuller story only by tying the columns together in a book.

I cherish these years writing for a wonderful newspaper about a cause dear to me. So, with a “see you later,” not a goodbye, I thank all readers near and far who have followed our journey, shared it with others and let me know how it affected them. Some became a special part of our lives by finding us, helping us and becoming amazing friends. It means a lot to our family that, while we were advocating for others, we received so much support in return. That support is part of our story too, which began with our feeling so scared, overwhelmed and hopelessly alone with the complexities of T1, but blossoming over the last three years into a beautiful demonstration of how much people can help and sustain one another in times of need.

With love, gratitude and advocacy always.

Lisa Seitles

Hammonton

Lisa Seitles and her husband Sam are the owners of READ Preschool and Camp Tuscaloosa. They have four children and are active members of the community.