Meet Maxime

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on October 22, 1999 with an HbA1c of 10.4%.

At that moment, your whole world falls apart.

My diagnosis was not only a serious blow and adjustment for me, but also for those close to me, like my mum.

"That was the case from day one.

She had to make a lot of adjustments.

From when I was first diagnosed in the hospital, she wanted me to do the insulin injections on my own, without any help from her."

And people criticized her for that, saying, "How could you force your 8-year-old child to inject insulin and not want to do it for her?"

But for my mum, it wasn't a question of not wanting to help - of course she wanted to help me. But she thought it was important that I could take care of myself when she was no longer there.

"I know this was the best decision and probably the most difficult decision she ever had to make.

Because to this day, wherever I am, and whoever I am with, I will never be dependent on others to get through life and manage my diabetes. "

Now that I myself am the mother of two precious children, I realize once again how strong and brave she was at the time to make that decision.