A classmate of mine, Jonathan, got up on stage with two folding chairs, a table, and a red bar stool and told his story of being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 12 and so on. I watched completely enthralled as he reenacted every step of the way starting with a hilarious and warm tale of traveling to Disney World to the broken, heartbreaking sobs of a 12-year-old boy begging nurses to stop taking his blood to a young adult managing and living life to the fullest! Never have I sat through an entire show with tears in my eyes throughout it all from either laughter or sadness.
Bright spot number 1: It wasn't told by a doctor. It wasn't told by a therapist or dietitian. It was told by someone who had been there. Someone who has acting talent that would blow 15-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio out of the water! Instead of someone preaching to me, lecturing me about the ups and downs of diabetes, the audience and myself were shown this "journey" through the emotions of an actor.
Bright spot number 2: It was real. Jonathan didn't sugarcoat his self pity or his pain. He didn't cut out the parts that would make some people think he was ungrateful. Jonathan laid it all out there and at the same time didn't ask for anyone's pity or for them to be sad for him. I can't speak for him, but I can imagine that he wanted people to come along for the ride and go through the experience with him as a means of understanding. I can't tell you how many people have talked to me differently or done the "Ohmigosh, are you allowed to eat this? Are you sure? Maybe I should cut it in half..." bit because I have hypoglycemia. Incurable and as difficult as hypoglycemia is, I cannot imagine (with my great fear of needles) how much courage one must have to give themselves insulin shots. And through "Sweet-N-Low," I was able to fully grasp the other side of the scale that is someone with diabetes and come to understand how it is for them.
Bright spot number 3: I got to sit directly behind Jonathan's mom. I don't know this woman, but I know she and her husband must have been exceptionally brave and strong through the whole process beginning with learning that their son had an incurable, potentially fatal disease. I could feel the pride rolling off of her as her son continued to speak. It was incredible! For me, seeing how proud she was of her son and how much love she had for him was as remarkable as the show itself.
I'm not going to steal Jonathan's thunder and talk about my own struggles with hypoglycemia. I'll just say that even though it was diabetes, it was close enough that the performance rocked my world and gave me such hope that maybe one day I won't have to live like this either because someone found a cure or I will have the strength and courage like Jonathan to adapt to the lifestyle I was born with.
I truly wish that the show had more dates and that every Western Carolina student would go see it. I wish my mom had been able to see it. I wish Kate and my father had seen it. I hope it continues ("Sweet-N-Low" has already spent time touring over the summer) to grow and becomes something people can see not only nationally but globally so everyone will understand like I came to today. It was truly remarkable.
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