April 29, 2015

Mark on the Body is a 33-month project.  Today marks the end of the 17th month -- more than half-way there.

As of today, all of the key areas for insulin injection depicted on MOB have some indication -- via stitch -- of the Marks on the Body those injections make.  And the fingers of each hand are covered with Marks made by blood sugar testing.

April 29-2015 - 'Thigh' stitching

April 29-2015 - Hand stitching

As of tomorrow, the stitches will be moving more broadly into the space of the body.  The hands will be more fully marked in those red stitches.

This is the process of Type 1 Diabetes too.  With longer involvement, it moves out more broadly into the space of the body.  As it's impact interferes with blood circulation in the miraculously tiny blood vessels of the kidneys, the brain, the eyes, the nervous system, it leaves its mark.  Those systems begin to deteriorate; their functions begin to shut down.  The losses seem small at first, but they are cumulative.

Over time, the body is "covered" with the marks of T1D.  There may be bleeding into the eyes, blindness, mini-strokes that impact memory and speech, loss of hearing, slowed digestion and waste evacuation, loss of feeling in fingers and feet resulting in injuries that don't heal, and perhaps amputation...

At the same time, the people living with T1D -- including well spouses or parents or siblings -- know that despite the encroachment of the disease, every day is an opportunity to manage its mark on their lives with hope and joy, to live the kind of life that's as full and rich as possible in the face of its impact.

Tomorrow is another day.