I'm Henry.
I’m a pretty normal kid. I love playing outside, biking, fishing, and playing whiffle ball. I also play ice hockey, lacrosse, and run cross country. I love watching the Phillies and the Eagles, even though I live in Minnesota. I like to play Minecraft Java edition with my friends online. My favorite foods are goldfish, avocados, and watermelon.
I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes in January of 2026, when I was just 11 years old. It was a really confusing and scary time for me. While home on winter break, I had lost 15 pounds. Nothing tasted good. I had no energy and I was sleeping all of the time. I was almost always thirsty. I wasn’t able to do the things that I wanted to do, like playing sports or playing with my friends. I actually also had strep throat too, so at first that the antibotics would help me feel better, when they didn't, we found out about my diabetes.
My diagnosis was scary too! While I was happy that I finally knew what was wrong, it was a lot to think about in a very short amount of time. It was tough to hear about all the finger pokes and shots that I would need to just get through every day.
Plus, the first part of “diabetes” sounds like “die,” which is pretty scary!
I wanted to start Live-a-betes to offer something positive and hopeful to other people going through what I went through. Diabetes can be tough to manage, but so what? We’re strong, we’re resilient, and we’re all here to LIVE!
Since I was diagnosed, I gained back the weight I lost. I’m back to my old self playing ALL the sports and biking around with my friends. I’ve got my CGM and an Omnipod, which makes life much easier. And when people ask me about these things stuck on my arms and legs, I proudly tell them that I have Type 1 Live-a-betes!
