Orit Osorio

Jersey City, New Jersey

I am young and ready to take on the world. I work in the fashion industry and I do not let my type 1 diabetes get in the way of my goals and dreams. I control it the best I can and do not let it control me, but no matter if there are days that make me feel like I am a prisoner in my own body. Sometimes you just want one day, just one, where you are not looking at food and breaking it down mentally, stressing about forgetting to bring a "just in case" snack to an important meeting, and figuring out what time you can eat lunch in the middle of a meeting-packed day when no one else is eating.

Having type 1 did not stop me from eating my wedding cake or from tasting freshly baked cookies that my friends just made me. It does however make me frustrated (believe me, it is very difficult to figure out how to take a shot when you are wearing a heavy wedding dress). And sometimes you do feel like you are the only girl who has to worry about her shot bruises attracting attention at the beach (like wearing a bikini isn't enough to make you self conscious!).

I have seen the changes that have been made over the years. My father has had type 1 since he was 18. While these changes have been amazing, I feel like there is still so much left to do! I want my father to experience more advances in his daily management and I want my future children to be able to grow up and watch their mother kick this disease to the curb.