“Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.”
Misty Copeland
Most love a good “self-made man” kind of story but I have to tell you, I’m not sure those really exist and mine is a story of accomplishment through family support and community. I’m certainly not a “self-made” woman. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my amazing husband, Marty. When I was diagnosed, recovering from DKA and sitting in the intensive care unit of a hospital, my mom and Marty were sitting by my bedside and chatting.
My mom said, half joking, “Well now she is defective, might as well trade her in for a better model.”
Without hesitation, Marty responded very sternly, “Not a chance!”
Now you have to understand, we were engaged at the time, about three months away from our wedding and I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had run away from that situation. Everyone told us hard hard it would be, not just for me but also for him!
A T1 spouse has to deal with a lot. When my pump alarms wake me in the middle of the night, it wakes him up too. When I’m at my breaking point and balling my eyes out, he is the shoulder that I cry on. When my blood sugar is high and I’m moody, he takes the brunt of it. When my blood sugar is low and I want to give up, go to sleep and let the suffering stop, he is there supporting me, keeping me safe and bringing me back to my purpose. When my blood sugar is out of whack and I can’t eat or have to eat and the social norm is the opposite of what I’m doing, he makes me feel like it’s no big deal. All of this and the frustration that comes with knowing that he can’t make me better. Yeah, if the shoe was on the other foot, I might have considered running away. It’s a lot to say the least.
Despite all of that, this amazing man has been by my side every step of the way. Not only has he been supportive but he has gone above and beyond. He adjusted his diet to make it easier for me to stick to mine. He ran right by my side during many training runs and races to make sure I was safe despite being almost twice as fast as I am. He does everything in his power to make sure I’m happy, healthy and that I will never give up on the goals I had before my diagnosis.
So all of that to say, any of the amazing things I might accomplish throughout this journey, I owe to my husband, Martin Anthony Nat Jr.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also add that he has taken on his own personal challenge in the search for a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. In August 2020, he will be running a solo run across Luzerne County, PA (over 50 miles) in order to raise money and awareness for T1D.
More information can be found at www2.jdrf.org/goto/martinsrun
Our Wedding 
After my first T1 50k (33 miles) 
At my brother’s wedding 
Our engagement, before T1 
Marty showing off his Boston marathon jacket 
After my first T1 marathon finish 
Marty running me in for a winter race
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*The content on this site is not intended to be medical advice. Always consult your doctor before beginning a fitness regimen or adjusting your diabetes management strategy.
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