I came into this world

a beautiful and chubby baby girl,

8 lbs. 3 oz. and a head full of black curls.

My mother's first child,

and it stayed that way for a while.

Not a care in the world,

just running and playing as much as I was allowed.

As each day went by,

my mom said they seem to zoom!

I was learning and growing,

then all of a sudden, BOOM!

My life would be struck by an illness

that we all felt came too soon.

Being a one-year-old kid with diabetes

life seemed kind of hard,

Getting poked in the fingers and shots everyday,

I'd hear my mom exclaim "OH MY GOD!"

But as the years went by

and I continued to grow,

I learned how to manage my illness

and take back control!

So here I am today,

a young adult with the whole world in my hands.

I will use the gift I was given to help others,

Woman, Child, or Man.