Essay 3. Final and Reflection

Follow this link to view my third essay final:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsMNv95ALVA

Stephanie McQuillan

Mr. Harmon

English 101

December 3, 2011

            For essay three, the close reading of an object, I chose to closely analyze my blood sugar kit. As a type one diabetic, my blood sugar kit is something that I use every day. The blood sugar reading that appears on the screen can decide and describe how I am feeling that day. If I have a low blood sugar I may feel weak, and a high blood sugar may be because I ate too much earlier in that day. A finger prick several times a day feeds the blood sugar meter so it can spit out a number that basically tells a diabetic how much sugar is in their blood. From there, they have to adjust accordingly with insulin. The blood sugar kit is such a vital part of any type one diabetic’s life.

            A person would not know a diabetic from any other person only by looking at them. Most times a diabetic does not show any outward appearances or signs that they are a diabetic, unless they are wearing an insulin pump. This causes diabetes to be a “silent” condition, filled with an underground diabetic community. The blood sugar kit is one thing that all diabetics have in common. Different diabetics may take different types of insulin or different dosages of insulin to match their lifestyles, but every diabetic checks their blood sugar to stay alive.

            This movie shows that diabetes is prevalent in the world, although a lot of diabetics keep their condition to themselves. When someone looks at another person who is diabetic, they do not realize what measures they have to go through to keep their blood sugars in check. Diabetics check their blood sugar whenever they eat something, whenever they exercise, and at other times that they feel they need to. They also need to inject insulin into their bodies to make sure their blood sugars are healthy. It takes a lot of work to keep a person’s diabetes in check, but at first glance no one would even know what a diabetic goes through every day, and how vital a blood sugar meter is to their lives .