Yellow Smiley Dude.

Back at the end of April, Circle D celebrated its' 5th birthday, but because I was abroad, I wasn't able to make it. Yesterday I met up with Shelley to celebrate her diabetes anniversary (10 years living with diabetes) and she gave me a little card from the Circle D Birthday celebration. It put the biggest smile on my face. You can't see the writing in the picture, so here's what it says:

"Thank you so much for being part of Circle D. Thank you for all your support whether you are a newbie or whether you have been with us for the whole 5 years or somewhere in between, it really does mean a lot :)

The yellow smiley dude is to make you smile when the D gets you down. When you feel the D rage you can stretch out his arms and lets to release your stress and he will keep on smiling - bless him!!!

If you live with/are related to/are friends with a D this is a thank you for putting up with us! :)

You may name your smiley but is must start with a D hahaha :0) carry him/her everywhere as you never know when you may need to rant!

And finally thank you for helping me prove that we really are not alone! Nearly 10 years ago on my diagnosis day a nurse told me I was the only one! :0(

Here's to the next 5 years and beyond!

Big love - Shelley xxx"

It just sums it all up for me: diabetes sucks, big time, but everything that comes along with it kind of makes up for the crapiness (making up words now!) of it all. So, I say again, whatever crappy condition you're living with (if any, of course), go find others in the same boat as you. Doing exactly that is the best thing I've ever done.

To find out more about Circle D please visit www.circledrocks.co.uk