Meg is 21, a May 8 graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia with a B.A. in English and a double minor in French and Women’s Studies.

In terms of dealing with type 1 as a college student, were there any big challenges your first year away from home?
Every new environment has challenges but my biggest challenge was that everyone didn’t know I had type 1. That was a brand new experience for me. Wearing a medical ID was important. My transition to college was pretty stressful. Two months before starting college, I was working at a summer camp in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and had a seizure. This experience kicked up anxiety levels I had never experienced before – anxiety that resulted in higher A1Cs. Combined with the stress of starting college, it took a while for things to settle down. The good news is that the next four years went smoothly.

Lessons Learned?
Managing diabetes is a lot more than managing the physical side of things. Be attentive to your psychological and emotional side and when things get out of kilter, reach out for help. Think holistically about your health. Know your limits. Get enough sleep. Very important is to learn to hang in there. Everything that seems a bit terrifying at the beginning inevitably becomes less intimidating over time.

Anything worth mentioning about your Temple experience?
Signing up for Temple’s Disability Resource Services was one of my smartest decisions. They were a big help with housing and administrative issues. They helped me navigate my way around. They would deal with the professor who insisted that students not eat during class. They provided official documentation of my situation so if I didn’t feel well on a particular day, I didn’t have to jump through hoops to be understood. Second, in the event of an emergency, Temple’s resident assistants couldn’t do anything like administering a shot of glucagon. All they could do was call for an ambulance. So, learn what your college or university rules are and have a back-up plan. Third, it was definitely reassuring to know that in a pinch, I could call the nurse or on-call endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital in DC.

Any advice for graduating high school seniors who will be off to college in the fall?
I was in my mid-teens when diagnosed. What helped me the summer before college was doing a lot of practicing with managing my diabetes so when things came up at college, they didn’t seem as intimidating. That included being fully in charge any time I got sick that summer since my parents wouldn’t be around at college to take over my care.

Is there anything about college that you thought would be a challenge that wasn’t?
My spring semester of junior year, I studied abroad in Paris. Key for me was being conscious about having enough supplies on hand. When you open your last box of anything, order it then and there; don’t wait. It’s also important to remember that wherever you go in the world, there will be orange juice and pharmacies. Finally, if you’re in trouble, people can identify that and respond even if you don’t speak their language.

Off to College and the Teen Transition Years

JDRF and Children’s National Medical Center invite high school students
living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their caregivers/parents
to this unique opportunity to learn about and discuss the many facets
of the “teen transition years,” including going to college and transitioning
from pediatric to Children’s National adult care. If you currently
have a child in college or are currently a college student,
you may also find this program valuable.

This program will give you the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of
health care professionals who have experience in this field, as well as a panel of young adults living with T1D who have first-hand experience with these transition years.

Saturday, June 6th
10 am – 12 pm

Children’s National Medical Center
2nd Floor Auditorium (located in the main hospital)
111 Michigan Ave NW
Washington, DC 20010

Click here to register!

For questions regarding this event, please contact JDRF Senior Outreach Manager,
Delia Whitfield, at: 202.465.4117 or dwhitfield@jdrf.org.