Thanksgiving eve began this morning as it does every year - with me sticking my head deep into the refrigerator and promising Susanne that the turkey does not smell funny.

We will wake up early tomorrow morning, drag ourselves downstairs and scrub that turkey cavity clean. When all the disgusting little bits are pulled and discarded, Susanne will then take a toothbrush and some Crest and scrub the inner bones until it’s sparkling white and minty fresh. Susanne will ask one more time if I think it smells funny. I will say no.

Following tradition, Susanne will go from worrying about the turkey not being fully cooked to worrying about it being fully cooked too soon, in a matter of minutes.

"Is it too early to serve dinner at 9:30 am?"

I’m looking forward to some fine food and drink and seeing my mother, step-father and Uncle Quesadilla.

Mom will ask if Charlie needs to be tested.

I’ll say no.

She’ll ask again about 30 minutes later and I’ll say no. I’ll tell her that he’ll tell us if he feels low.

I’ll be wrong.

When we test Charlie before dinner, he’ll be 54. He’ll confess that he felt low earlier.

Why didn’t you tell us you felt low?

He’ll shrug shoulders.

Our carb counting skills will be put to the test. Charlie will eat difficult-to-count portions of food. He’ll want to go to town on the soft dinner rolls. He’ll eat some of Susanne’s home-made applesauce and then say he doesn’t like it after he was bolused. He’ll graze. He’ll decide he wants to give the applesauce another shot. And then there's dessert. I will be punching buttons on his pump all day - like I’m texting his liver.

Charlie will be low three times throughout the day and high twice.

It’s insane, but it is tradition none the less.

I recently read a story about an 18-year-old girl with diabetes in England who must spend every night in the hospital for the rest of her life due to an extremely rare blood condition. The insulin that she needs to stay alive, "sticks to her antibodies, builds up and is released in potentially lethal doses into her bloodstream," according to the Daily Telegraph. She is the only known person in the world with this condition and chances of having it is 6.7 billion to one. Injections of insulin to control her blood sugar have caused blood clots in her heart and an infection of the heart valve and she has spent weeks at a time with severe hypoglycemia. Nurses must monitor her while she sleeps.

So much misfortune everywhere you look. I am so thankful for what I have.

Happy Thanksgiving.