I travel often for work as a marketing consultant, and over the years, I\u2019ve grown used to airport chaos and long flights. The one thing I\u2019ve never gotten used to, though, is living with type 1 diabetes. It means I have to carefully monitor my blood sugar and always carry snacks in case it drops suddenly. Most people are understanding when I explain this\u2014until a recent flight from Chicago to Seattle.<\/p>\n
That morning had been hectic. By the time I boarded, I was already feeling shaky, a clear sign my blood sugar was falling. I reached for my protein bar, but the woman sitting next to me quickly asked me not to eat. She said her young son, sitting nearby, had \u201csensitivities\u201d and would get upset if he saw or smelled food. Wanting to avoid conflict, I reluctantly put the bar away and decided to wait for the snack cart.<\/p>\n
When the cart finally arrived, the boy\u2019s parents asked the flight attendant not to serve me anything, insisting it would upset their child. My hands were trembling by then, and I knew I couldn\u2019t wait any longer. I calmly explained to the attendant\u2014and everyone around us\u2014that I had diabetes and needed to eat immediately for my health. The flight attendant quickly brought me food and a drink, and the nearby passengers looked stunned as they realized what was happening.<\/p>\n
The rest of the flight was quiet. The boy never even looked up from his tablet, and the parents didn\u2019t speak to me again. That day reminded me that standing up for your health isn\u2019t rude\u2014it\u2019s essential. Sometimes, advocating for yourself teaches others an important truth: everyone\u2019s ne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I travel often for work as a marketing consultant, and over the years, I\u2019ve grown used to airport chaos and long flights. The one thing I\u2019ve never… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n