T1D at Boarding School

When I first heard that I had T1D, one of the first things I thought was that I wouldn’t be able to go to boarding school anymore. So my mom and I started looking into international schools in Korea. But there were no openings anywhere, every school told us we’d have to go on the waiting list. We even started looking into unaccredited schools just in case. I thought staying in Korea would be better since my parents could be nearby to help, and honestly, I didn’t think I could handle all of this on my own.

Then we talked with my school, and it turned out there were already about six other students with T1D there. That alone itself already gave me hope. There was even a teacher who had T1D, and there were more than 20+ nurses at the school health center on duty 24/7.

The health center told me they would help manage everything until I adjusted, so I didn’t need to worry. Even though I was scared and kept thinking if i could really do this, they told me to take a month off first, just to focus on learning how to manage my blood sugar and get used to things.

So I decided to try. After about a month, I got used to adjusting my meals, learning when my blood sugar tends to rise, how much insulin to take for each food, and what to do when my blood sugar drops. I started to feel confident that I could go back to boarding school again.

My mom was still worried, so when I returned, she came with me. She stayed at a nearby hotel for a month, and every weekend we’d go out to eat together. Sometimes I stayed with her at the hotel, which really helped me feel better emotionally.

The school health center also took amazing care of me. They monitored my blood sugar 24/7. If it dropped while I was asleep, they would first message me, and if I didn’t respond, they would come to my dorm and wake me up to make sure I could raise it safely. I felt truly grateful to be in such a caring environment.

I was near the end of 10th grade then, and if I had transferred schools at that time, it would have been such a big change. Looking back, I feel lucky that I didn’t have to move and that I was able to readjust and stay.

In the end, what I learned is this: even with T1D, boarding school is still possible. If someone else ever goes through the same situation, I want them to know, don’t give up right away. It’s worth exploring every option.