In the middle of English III, senior Tamia Stockett has a realization: she hasn’t done her shot for the day. As if by second nature, Stockett whips out her needle and plunges it into her leg.

“They always ask me if it hurts and some ask me why I don’t go to the bathroom,” she said. “I’m not self-conscious about it because it’s going to be a part of me forever so there is no need to be ashamed.”

Stockett discovered she had diabetes when she went to the doctor in 2011 for urination issues.

“We went to the doctor and they checked my blood sugar and my urine,” she said. “They were all really off so they diagnosed me with type I diabetes, or juvenile diabetes”

Part of her daily routine is to take an insulin shot. The number of shots she takes depends on what she eats during the day.

“I was hospitalized when I was 8 for about a week,” she said. “I had to take classes to learn how to take shots and I had to adjust to the lifestyle of taking medicine and checking my blood sugar every day and watching what I eat.”

Stockett said that having diabetes gives her a more cautious outlook on life.

“If I don’t take my medicine, I could potentially die or I could have a lot of health issues,” she said. “I have to stay on top of it every day, so I don’t get sick.”

She said It has also affected her family.

“My mom worries about me because she doesn’t want me to have other health issues,” she said. “She kind of gets on me about it a lot.”

Still, Stockett is able to participate in the same activities that she always has.

“I can still do sports,” she said. “The only thing is if my blood sugar is low I have to eat something to get it up.”

Stockett said that more attention needs to be brought to the condition.

“It’s a big deal to me but other people don’t see us like that,” she said. “Awareness should be there because we have a chronic disease and we should be acknowledged.”