I am not sure about you, but to me it feels as if the world is holding it's breath and waiting for better days. A lot of that hope is focused on the development of a COVID 19 vaccine that will allow us to become immune to this devastating virus. 
And it seems possible and probable that the medical community will be able to pull that rabbit out of the hat soon. Or is that wishful thinking?
I have been trawling the internet to see what has been done about a vaccine for type 1 diabetes. There have been claims or rumours of trial vaccines being "close", but reading between the lines, that is not actually possible. This is mostly because no one knows exactly WHY some children suddenly develop T1. From studies, it can be seen that there can be a genetic component, but it is mostly attributed to a virus attack. TD's endo, when we first spoke to her shortly after diagnosis, asked if TD had recently broken any bones, or if there had been a major social or emotional upheaval. (The answer was no to both these questions in TD's case.) Studies regarding stress as a contributing factor are inconclusive - some research pointing towards a nod and others stating this is not plausible. The upshot is that it is impossible to prevent something if you don't know what causes it.
A vaccine to prevent anyone else getting T1 would,
of course, change the world, especially as T1 diabetes seems to be on the
rise. The "risk" ages are 4 to 7 and 10 to 12 (who knows why) and
strangely the further away from the equator, the more cases are
diagnosed. TD fell plonk in the 10 to 12 age group, and a fair
distance from the equator. If a cure could be
found., along with a vaccine, I would be even happier.
Type 1 diabetes involves a lot of needles, injections, food control and vigilance. It is a full time job around which everything else must fit in. There are things that TD is not able to do when she is experiencing a hypo- or hyper- glycaemic episode. These include, but are not limited to, exercising, concentrating or anything involving fine motor skills precision. So, keeping the glucose line at an even, flat 6 or 7 is a goal that needs to be strived for daily, just to get on with regular stuff.
Viruses are big news at the moment - understandably - as COVID 19 has affected everyone worldwide in some way. A virus can be defined as "a disease -producing organism, capable of growing and multiplying within living cells" (according to my Pocket Oxford dictionary which was printed before computer viruses existed!!) or "moral poison, malignity".
All the viruses floating around present challenges that need to be addressed head on. Currently the moral poison of prejudice is being held up in the spotlight, and it is a dismal virus. There is no vaccine for intolerance and hatred, and we need to find a cure to moral blindness as fast as possible before the system of society is too corrupt to recover.
Just like TD's diabetes diagnosis highlighted for us the impact a virus can have, COVID 19 has exposed the vulnerability of everyone. It has reminded us to appreciate what we have and why we have it. It reminds us to be human and to be kind.
