Yes, we are brave.

In early 2007, the diabetes O.C. had a conversation about bravery, triggered by a post about being called 'brave' by someone without diabetes.

My take on it, back then, was that we are brave, in that as people with diabetes we keep plugging away and we don't let the challenges of diabetes completely overwhelm us. We are brave in that we don't give up.

Well, I'd like to re-visit that conversation, this time as a parent of a child with diabetes. And I'd like to tell you that my son is Brave with a capital "B", strong and courageous beyond his twelve years.

Last night was our first pump set change. Jake was a superstar during training, when I put the infusion set in his skinny leg. I swear, if the kid has a subcutaneous layer, you'd never know it. During training, and since, he only mentioned once that it hurt - and then only after re-connecting for the first time (and wiggling it around.)

Last night we went through the steps of prepping the pump - still with saline - and he said he wanted to try inserting the infusion set. Now, the 30-degree set that Animas uses is not a small contraption. And you can see the needle quite clearly. And it's a long needle. Only a small portion of it goes under the skin, but it's impressive.

Jake hit a wall. His fear of the needle and how much it would, or could, hurt, got the better of him. I spent half an hour discussing, encouraging, begging. I told him that he *could* do it, and that pumping would have big benefits that he would love, and that it would get easier. All of this fell on deaf, distraught, ears. Eventually I told him he didn't have to start the pump now, or ever, if it wasn't what he wanted. And then I laid down next to him and fought not to cry while he fought to stop crying.

Five minutes later he said, "I want to try it again." So I prepped another infusion set, and handed it to him, and he did it. And it hurt for a few minutes, but he kept it in until it felt o.k.

That, my friends, is brave. Knowing that it will hurt, worried that it can hurt more, but climbing back from a place where all you can think is that you are too scared to do it: that is brave. And I was brave, too, in trying to encourage and reassure him when all I wanted to do was throw the pump infusion set in the trash.

Diabetes isn't always so challenging, but in moments like this, we are brave.