We survive with modern medicine. It has to be said. Peter and his squad of bad-ass dia-buddies are blessed with insulin, technology and care that have changed what it means to live with Type 1 Diabetes. And, they have reason to hope that the future will bring even better tools and outcomes. We owe this to BRI and researchers everywhere working on better treatments.

But, medicine doesn’t treat everything. Some days what Peter really needs to survive can’t be prescribed or injected. I’m talking about that can of spinach for the soul, that long-acting dose of fighting spirit, that deep store of will he can draw from on the hard days, the sad days, the I-hate-diabetes days.

Of course, you never know when life is going to give you a can of spinach. For Popeye, one seemed to arrive whenever he needed it. But when you get one, you take it.  One magic Sunday back in August, Peter got a can of spinach from the Seattle Sounders.

What a gift from the Sounders.  We’ve all seen a child with a chronic or life-threatening illness on the field before a game. It’s nice, and we applaud politely. What a brave kid. But seeing it from the child’s eye changes everything. It’s not just nice. It’s nourishing. In fact, if you believe the body isn’t truly healthy unless the mind is too, these moments might even be life-saving.

Because life does goes on. There are wins, losses, and draws. But there is no quitting. Ask Jordan Morris. No matter what happens in the match, he goes to the locker room with Type 1 Diabetes. Or Peter. No matter what happens at school, he goes home with Type 1 Diabetes. Every day there are more highs and lows, finger pokes, and site changes, all taking a toll. That’s the grind.

I often look at Peter and wonder how he does it. Where does he find the will to put up with all of this crap? And I remember that night, and how he devoured that can of spinach. I am certain now that at some molecular level, his body found a way to convert that moment - something that had no shape, form, or mass  - into storable energy he needs for the grind.

He’ll have Type 1 Diabetes for life, but he was king for a day, and if that’s the deal, we’ll take it.

Photo Credit: 

• Main photo – Jane G. Photography
• Stefan Frei with Peter – Corky Trewin