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Being Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Changed Debby Ojay’s Life. Read About it in This ‘Doing Life With…’
After my diagnosis, I was in denial and I was depressed. But I’m extremely proud of how I’ve been able to learn about diabetes management, balance my daily life alongside my health, advocate for awareness, inspire and support other diabetics…
Doing Life With… is a BellaNaija Features series that showcases how people live, work, travel, care for their families and… everything in between. We are documenting the lives of all people and ensuring everyone is well-represented at BN.
Did you miss the last conversation with Abbey Tumusiime? You can catch up here.
This week, we’re doing life with Debby Ojay. She gives us a glimpse into her life and living with Type 1 Diabetes. Enjoy!
Hello Debby, how are you today?
I’m doing okay. I’ve been a bit under the weather recently but I’m recovering nicely. I’m grateful to God for the gift of life and the chance to survive another day.
We’re glad you’re recovering nicely. Tell us a little about your growing up
I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria to a tight-knit family of two children. I’m sure it’s pretty obvious I’m the second child. We all know last-born kids are the coolest. My nuclear family has always meant the world to me. I grew up seeing my parents make sacrifices and do all they could to give my brother and me the best possible quality of life and I think that is mostly where my love and dedication for family sprouted from. I’ve also always been close with my extended family; aunts, uncles, and cousins. It never really felt lonely because I always had people around me even though they were usually much older.
Growing up, I developed a very extroverted personality early on. I loved to talk a lot and everyone kept saying I would become a lawyer because I talked too much. I guess it’s safe to say they spoke it into existence.
Let us guess, you became a lawyer
I did end up becoming a lawyer. Hahaha
Tell us a little about your career
I actually pivoted into the financial industry so during the day I have an 8-5 corporate job and on the side, I film, edit and post content on social media centred around diabetes awareness.
Let’s talk about living with diabetes
Honestly, it’s really been a journey. Initially, I was confused and in denial. I didn’t understand how one day I could be totally fine and living life like a normal person and the next day, I’d end up hospitalised with severe complications from high blood sugars and be told that an organ in my body wasn’t working anymore and I’d have to inject myself with insulin if I wanted to stay healthy and alive.
I went through all the stages of grief until I finally found that accepting my diagnosis was the best way to get good control of my health and manage my blood sugars efficiently. As you can see, that was the best decision for me.
How has living with type 1 diabetes influenced your daily routine and lifestyle?
Ohh, it definitely changed everything. You don’t realise how complicated little everyday tasks can get until you have to pay attention. Something as simple as sharing a cookie with a friend requires me to calculate carbs, inject insulin, and wait about 10-15 minutes for the insulin to kick in before I can eat my half of the cookie or else I end up with high blood sugar.
That’s tough
It is.
You’re very open about living with diabetes on social media. How do you maintain a positive mindset and stay motivated despite the challenges?
First of all, I stay grounded by holding on to the promises in God’s word. I know He is with me every step of the way and I can always lean on him when things get challenging. I also find strength in surrounding myself with positivity, love and support from my family and friends.
A big part of my motivation also comes from the loving community I’ve been blessed with on social media. I’ve had strangers look out for me, check on me, pray for me and support me and they’ve become just like family to me. It’s a beautiful blessing.
Awww, love it for you! So what’s a typical day like for you?
Well, every day is very different for a diabetic. It’s funny that you can have the same routine every day but still get different results. That’s because there are so many factors that could affect your blood sugar but the goal is to stay within range throughout the day and that is a herculean task in itself. Something as simple as a hot shower can send your blood sugar crashing down so it’s never straightforward.
That being said, a good day would look something like this:
I wake up at 6:30 a.m. and join NLP prayers while I’m getting ready for work. I usually make it to work around 8 a.m. and have some tea or coffee to start the day. Sometime around 11 a.m., I would finally decide what to eat and then inject the appropriate units of insulin before actually eating the meal. Sometime around 2:30 p.m., I’d inject some more insulin and have a snack. I get home from work around 5:30 p.m., post any content I’ve prepared for the day, catch up with my family and friends via phone calls and watch whatever series I’m enjoying at the moment. Then it’s time for dinner – insulin and dinner. After dinner, I would prepare for work the next day, inject my long-acting insulin, and call it a night. Bear in mind, I’m constantly monitoring my blood sugar throughout the day 24/7.
It’s a lot of work and we’re proud of how far you’ve come
Thank you, BN.
Can you share a moment or experience when you felt particularly proud of yourself?
This one is hard because there are so many experiences. The most obvious one I would say is after my diagnosis, I was in denial and I felt disappointed and depressed but I’m extremely proud of how I’ve been able to learn about diabetes management and adapt, manage my health condition effectively with consistent self-care, balance my daily life alongside my health, advocate for awareness, inspire and support other diabetics to show that they can live fulfilling lives despite living with diabetes.
Awesome! Let’s get to the fun stuff, are you ready?
Let’s gooo!
Three emojis that describe you best?
One crazy thing you’d do if the world wasn’t watching you?
Purely out of curiosity and against the better judgment of my family and friends and maybe even the world, I would probably visit another planet.
One thing in your everyday life that brings you joy?
A good night’s sleep.
I promise you it’s so underrated. Living with diabetes makes you appreciate the little things like sleeping through the night and not being woken up due to blood sugar fluctuations.
A skill or hobby you picked up in the past year?
Hmm. I’ve recently been working on upgrading my video editing skills using new editing software.
One unconventional thought about the world that you think people might not agree with?
I believe that technology has made humans less intelligent. I know this challenges the widespread belief that it enhances human capabilities and improves overall quality of life and while I agree, I can’t help but think sometimes about how it actually negatively impacts our critical thinking skills, makes us lazier and even reduces our attention span and don’t even get me started on the role of artificial intelligence in all this.
Many won’t agree with you, haha. Thank you for being a part of Doing Life With… Debby
Thank you for having me.
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Many thanks to Debby for having this conversation with us and answering all our questions.
Do you love this content, have any feedback for us or want to be a BellaNaija Features contributor? We’d love to read from you. Shoot us an email: [email protected]. Join us on Saturday for the next episode!
