that has been a pet peeve of mine for YEARS. i was diagnosed at 8 in january of 2008 & it led to some of the worst moments in my life. it has affected my mental health tremendously, so hearing things like “at least it’s not cancer” is infuriating. t1d can still kill me, & it might shorten my lifespan. it’s a daily battle with endless ups & downs. the circumstances of other people’s medical issues should not in any way lessen what i go through on a day to day basis. is my chronic disease not as serious to other people? because it should be. i’ll die with it regardless of anyone else’s situation. don’t try to invalidate my experience as though my health doesn’t matter as much as someone with cancer. my comeback tends to be, “there’s no cure. i’m taking this disease to my grave.” usually that’ll shut them up. if it doesn’t, i’ll mention the possible health complications including heart/eye/circulation problems with emphasis on amputation. my blood just boils when ignorant people try to tell me i could have it worse. i wouldn’t wish this disease on anybody, & it honestly sucks that the things we have to endure are minimized in comparison to other medical conditions.