Diabetes Viewpoints

My Most Important Boss

By Deanna Glick

Since becoming a mother, I have read and listened to many stories about the plight of the working parent, from the decision about full-time or part-time employment to self employment or forgoing the paycheck altogether.

Having children changes everyone’s work lives. For me, it’s had a profound affect on my career path and choices. The only thing about my work that hasn’t changed since I began what had been my professional pursuit since age 12 is that I am still writing. How I go about it, what I write about, how much time I put into writing, who I write for and who pays me to do it have all undergone dramatic transformation because I wanted to have a child. And because I have diabetes.

We tell our children they can be anything they want to be and overcome any obstacles as long as they work hard enough. When my daughter is old enough for me to tell her that, I will most certainly be revising the phrase because it leaves a helluva lot out. The truth is, it isn’t that simple. A little thing called “life” gets in the way. And there are no guarantees.

Diabetes didn’t stop me from pursuing my professional dreams. After my diagnosis in college, I went on to complete my immediate plans: graduate with a journalism degree, complete an internship at a national magazine, become an editor for a magazine, and write for various newspapers and magazines. All while maintaining an HbA1c of under 7.0. I wrote about nearly every topic imaginable. Except diabetes.

What wasn’t part of my plan: having to fight for time to consume meals during shifts; being questioned by bosses as to why I couldn’t work 11 hours before taking an insulin injection and eating dinner; years of overtime causing my control to suffer, depression to set in and my HbA1c to creep near 8.0; and having my position at a nonprofit eliminated after symptoms of my disease and condition were identified as problems in the workplace and a lengthy medical leave due to complications during pregnancy. (Yes, it was legal. I checked.)

Now, I am fortunate enough to be able to continue my dream of writing for a living part-time and caring for my daughter while my husband picks up the financial slack and I reap the reward of group health insurance. The arrangement is far from a panacea for diabetes care or family life. But it has become the best option for taking care of my family and myself right now.

Diabetes, pregnancy, and now motherhood have forced me to learn how to prioritize the way I live and work. How, where, and why I work and whom I choose to work for has changed dramatically. I also work much less and have the income to match. I no longer require uninterrupted blocks of time in order to achieve creative spark. I’ve learned to write a paragraph in between diaper changes and use nap times for phone interviews. I do what really matters and forgo fretting about immaterial things.

In a sense, I have several supervisors instead of one boss. But most of them have never met me in person or interviewed me. I send my work to them via home computer while clad in pajamas and sporting a ponytail. My most important boss doesn’t really care what I look like. She’s playing in the other room with Daddy. And I look forward to telling her someday how I became who I wanted to be, not in spite of, but because of diabetes and motherhood.

Visit her website www.deannaglick.com.



Disclaimer
dLife's Daily Living columnists are not all medical experts, but everyday people living with diabetes and sharing their personal experiences. While their method of diabetes management may work for them, everyone is different. Please consult with your diabetes care team to find out what will work best for you.