A Book, 40 Years in the Making

This summer marked 40 years since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I knew I wanted to do something meaningful with that milestone. I’ve always loved to read, and I’ve always loved learning about the authors behind my favorite books. So naturally, I decided writing a book was the way I wanted to celebrate.

Sage Being Brave officially came out on September 1, and the last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy. There have been emails, website updates, press releases, book orders, envelopes all over my house, trips to the post office, and a whole lot of figuring things out as I go.

It has taken way more time and energy than I expected. But this book was something I really wanted to do.

I didn’t set out to write my own story. Sage isn’t me. Her diagnosis happens in a different time, with different technology and different experiences.

But there is definitely a lot of me in her.

I remember being the kid who felt different. I remember having to think about things my friends didn’t have to think about. But most of the time, I was just a kid. I went to school. I played. I had friends. I got into things. Diabetes was there, but there was a whole lot more going on too.

That’s really where Sage came from.

I wanted to write a story about a kid who happened to have Type 1 diabetes. Not a book that explained diabetes to kids. Not a lesson. Just a story where a kid with diabetes got to be the main character.

So Sage goes to school. She plays soccer. She goes to a birthday party and a sleepover. She hangs out with her best friend. She has a rabbit named Pumpkin. And along the way, she figures out how diabetes fits into all of it.

Getting the book finished and actually putting it out into the world has been a lot. There were definitely moments when I wondered why I had given myself another giant project when life was already busy enough.

But then someone tells me they bought a copy for a child with Type 1 diabetes. Or someone who grew up with T1D tells me they wish they’d had something like this when they were little.

And that gets me every time.

Forty years with Type 1 diabetes is a milestone I’m incredibly proud to celebrate. And somehow, after all those years, I made something out of the experience. Something that little seven-year-old me would have loved to have on her bookshelf.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate 40 years.

You can find Sage Being Brave on Amazon. If you’ve read it, I’d really appreciate your honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. It means a lot to me.