. Dr. Deputy told me and my mother that my body was n't processing sugar properly . I had diabetes . That is how my 40-year journey with diabetes began . I was checked into a hospital to learn how to test my urine for sugar , give myself injections of insulin , follow a diabetic diet and control my diabetes . I spent several days in the hospital learning how to manage my disease , and then they sent me home . Dr. Deputy would call our house each afternoon to check on me and see how I was doing . Much to my parents ' chagrin -- and to my delight -- he wanted me to be self sufficient and responsible for monitoring myself . I refused to let my parents give me injections or test my urine . This demand for self sufficiency turned out to be one of my best life lessons , and not just for managing my diabetes . While some diabetics may feel their disease is a burden , I feel that being diagnosed with diabetes was a blessing in disguise . It forced our family to eat healthily , and it taught
Editor 's note : Ann Curley is the assignment manager for the CNN Medical News unit . She has been a type I diabetic for 40 years . This is her story of life with diabetes . Ann Curley uses a pump attached to a catheter in her body to monitor glucose levels and administer insulin . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When I was 7 years old , my mom took me to the doctor because I had lost a lot of weight , despite a voracious appetite . My family had just moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Pasadena , California , and this visit to the doctor 's office was my introduction to a man who would come to have a huge impact on my life . His name was Dr. Robert Deputy , and he was the pediatrician who diagnosed me with diabetes . He spoke to me directly , rather than to my mother , and he asked me questions : Did I feel thirsty ? Did I need to urinate during the night ? The answer to both questions was yes . He asked for a urine sample and the result was immediate