Story of Rukia

My name is Rukia Mbwana, 25years old and type 1 diabetic from Tanzania. I was 8 years old when I was diagnosed with T1DM in 2003 while living with my parents. It started with few symptoms like frequent urination, thirst, and weight loss. So my mom decided to take me to the hospital where they did a urinalysis and found high glucose in the urine. That’s when I was referred to another hospital where I could get a blood test. The test was done and RBG was 21.0mmol/L, from there I have diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

As it is known that this is a life-long disease, my parents were shocked and frustrated as to how could I get this disease and how will I manage it? And as for myself, I was young, so it was hard living by rules and daily injections which was the hardest part.

At first, I was attending the clinic at Temeke Hospital but in 2004 I transferred to Muhimbili National Hospital. The Clinic at Muhimbili had a lot of children so it was easier to cope and not feel alone. I learned a lot from everyone especially Sr. Elizabeth Licoco who was the diabetic educator at the clinic by then. At school, nothing changed much with exception of few sick days where I missed classes but it didn’t affect my academic progress that much. When I was in grade 4 I wanted to become an Attorney but frequent visits to the clinic and seeing doctors almost every month drove out the inner Doctor in me. I dreamed of becoming a Medical Doctor from there. My inspiration was my pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Edna Majaliwa, I used to say to myself that I will be just like her one day, now here I am in my final year of Medical School, It’s a dream come true for me.