About Me

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m a high school student who spends the school year in the U.S. and vacations in Korea. I play tennis, run cross country, row, and play trombone. I also lived in China for a while, which gave me some pretty different experiences growing up. When I’m not busy with school or sports, I like gaming, watching YouTube, and just hanging out with friends.

Me, in my dorm room

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in high school. Like many others with T1D, I never saw it coming. I had never heard of it or known anyone who had it. One of the biggest shocks was realizing that I would have to manage my blood sugar and take insulin for the rest of my life, and yet, I had never even heard of this disease before. It felt unbelievable that something like this could happen overnight. There wasn’t even time to process it, I had to start checking my blood sugar, wearing a Dexcom, and taking insulin shots right away.

In the ICU, right after my T1D diagnosis

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That’s why I started this blog. I wanted to share what T1D is and what living with it is really like. I also realized there are a lot of misunderstandings about it, so I want to help clear those up and give my perspective as a student trying to balance school, sports, friends, and diabetes. My diagnosis gave me a reason to speak up and help others understand T1D better.

Injecting my long-acting insulin as part of my nightly routine.

Every vacation, I intern at a fashion company called Lewkin, where I learn about clothing production, design, and distribution. Using what I learned there, I started a small T1D merch project to raise awareness about Type 1 Diabetes. All profits are donated to the Korean Society of Type 1 Diabetes. It’s a small start, but it’s my way of contributing to something that matters to me.

Read about my story here!

Working at Lewkin, the experience that inspired my T1D merch project

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MY FAVORITE POSTS

The Polar Bear Challenge

At the crack of dawn, tens of boys would rush to the Cannan Street Lake, fearlessly plunging their bare bodies into the icy cold water of the lake. I would be one of the first among these boys, up on Mt. Cardigan, smug afterwards that I got to wear the prize, a Polar Bear tie. We were freezing in the freezing New Hampshire winter water but it didn’t matter because we achieved the impossible, together. Every day for an entire month, we would have to wake up at the break of daw

Nathan Kim

The Day Everything Changed

I was 16 when my life got flipped upside down. It started with a headache that wouldn’t go away for over a week. I usually don’t take medicine and just live through a cold, but this time it was something I couldn’t bear. Then came the thirst, no matter how much water I drank, I was still so thirsty. I also started going to the bathroom all the time. At first, I thought it was just a cold, but when it became too hard to handle, I went to the health center. They gave me some me

Nathan Kim

Insulin Pump in KPop Demon Hunters?

The K Pop Demon Hunter craze is ongoing and everyone is amazed at the story, the songs and also the behind the scene story of the singers who sang the songs. For me, K Pop Demon Hunter touched me differently. Zoe, KPop Demon Hunters (Image: Reddit) If you look at Zoe, she has a very chic almost like an accessory thing on her arm. Most viewers may not really know what it is but now I know that it is most likely an insulin pump that Zoe has installed on her arm. I don’t know if

Nathan Kim

Disclaimer

Everything I share on this blog is based on my personal experience living with Type 1 Diabetes. I am not a doctor or medical professional. I’m also a relatively new T1D, still figuring things out day by day. What works for me may not work for everyone, because each person is different. If you ever need medical help or advice, please reach out to your doctor or healthcare team who knows you best.