Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Proia. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amanda, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
When I think of resilience, the answer comes to me quickly and naturally. I definitely get my resilience from my dad. He always seemed to pick up the pieces and pushed forward no matter how hard it was. He was disciplined, organized, and tough, both mentally and physically. The times in my life where I have felt like I could give up, or want to stay in bed all day and pull the covers over my head, I think of him and what he would do…
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I used to work in sales, and since having my boys, I have obtained my real estate license which I am yet to put to use. My real passion lies in the staging of houses verse the selling. I also have a children’s yoga teacher certification. My number one job is being the best mom I can be to my two wonderful boys! Since the day I had them, I made a promise to myself to be the best example I can. When I fall short of that, I reevaluate, show up and try again. Parenting is definitely the most challenging and hardest work to do, especially if you’re doing it right! My oldest son who is now sixteen, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was 18 months old. To add to the challenges of having a baby, I had to navigate what Ty[e 1 Diabetes was and how to be a full time nurse, dietician, and mathematician. June 9, 2009 changed the trajectory of his life, and ours forever. Every snack and every meal had to be accounted for. Every carb calculated, and then put into a math equation to figure out how much insulin we needed to give to him. We had to poke his finger to check his blood sugar multiple times per day and give him shots of insulin every time he ate, including snacks. He was only 18 months old, so he couldn’t even communicate to us how he felt. This was very challenging and there were many days I wondered how we could do this day in and day out. One minute we were in the hospital, the next they discharged us with boxes and bags of diabetes supplies, a log book, and some manuals on how to manage diabetes. Unlike Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 is only controlled with insulin and you have a genetic predisposition to the disease. We have no family history, so the odds were 1 in 300. We couldn’t understand why this happened to our son, yet here we were. The next weeks, months and years, were hard to traverse. I got involved with our local Juvenile Diabetes Chapter which is a non for profit that helps raise funds to cure T1D. I sought out the newest technology to help make life easier for my son. They have made leaps and bounds since 2009 with diabetes management. There have been scary days where his blood sugar goes so low that I am worried he will lose conciseness. There have been multiple days where his blood sugar has been so high, it just won’t normalize. It is a forever changing curve. Sickness, sports, anxiety, school, and different foods all play a role in his blood sugar levels. We are now on the cusp of college now which will surely pose its own set of challenges. I can only hope and have faith he has the wisdom and tools to make good choices. With all the challenges we have been through with diabetes, we have watched him grow and accomplish so many amazing things. From winning States for Alpine Ski Racing, to being one of the strongest Face-Off specialists in Lacrosse at his age, all while achieving First Honors academically. This experience has made me more resilient than I ever thought I could be. It takes strength and grit to be a full time care giver to a type 1 diabetic, and be malleable to deal with the highs and lows. I can thank my father for instilling resilience, I can thank my son for being my hero….
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back I think the qualities and skills that helped me was the openness to learn more about the disease, and the mindset that Type 1 Diabetes was not going to define my son. There was two ways we could go about this, one to have diabetes define you, or two; for diabetes to just be something that was a part of you, but would never hold you back from doing and achieving anything you wanted to do. I didn’t want him to feel because of diabetes he was different or couldn’t participate in things other kids did. I always encouraged him to push himself to work hard and dream big. Some people use a diagnoses as a “crutch,” I felt it was his super power. I also believe that having faith that if God will bring you to it, he will bring you through it, that has been my anchor. I feel grateful for our faith and that we have God and his guardian angles watching over him.
I think when other people are faced with a life altering challenge such as an auto immune disease or any chronic health issue, its important to do your research, and understand that you can live a perfectly normal life if your willing to make the adjustments needed and continue to grow and learn, and be open to new technologies.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most important impactful thing my parents did for me was to show me how to be mentally tough even when you don’t want to be. There were many days or seasons, in my childhood where the chips were not falling our way. My parents never let that get the best of them. They both in their own individual ways, always put one foot in front of the other and never gave up.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandajean57/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.bushproia
Image Credits
Credits: To my son, for teaching me what perseverance is day and day out.
