I felt isolated in shame after learning I had diabetes. Doing my insulin shots in public helped me accept it.

• When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I felt ashamed.
• I didn't tell anyone for a while and didn't identify as diabetic internally, either.
• But eventually, I accepted my diagnosis, and doing my insulin shots in public helped.

Last week, I was in a chic restaurant with colleagues blustering through semi-fake smiles, feeling acutely distracted. I needed to run to the bathroom for an insulin shot before the appetizers arrived. Life as a type 1 diabetic requires stealth, timing, discipline, and, above all, humility.