Family member close to me got diabetes at 21
Now, not going to go into too many specifics because he doesn't know that I know. So keeping it as vague and anonymous as possible without trying to identify him. He is sort of keeping it a secret and acting like business is usual around everybody, so I want to respect that until he feels comfortable revealing his diagnosis to the world. But I know this secret from his Dad who told me this week, and....you see.... I'm really close with this guy. He is family yes, but he legit could be my younger blood sibling, and I feel just awful for him. He is one of the closest people in my life and a good friend despite being blood related. Wanted to get these emotions off my chest as I cannot do it in person and real life as of writing this post. Because like I said, it's a secret.... and... I can't hold it in, I'm sorry. Have to vent these emotions somewhere.
He is a gym guy, (big into soccer/football) so not overweight and he is very conscious about his diet and overall health. Only thing I can think of that might be the cause is mental health and stress because he went through a lot during his short life sadly. And his current boss is also a bitch which has also not been great for him in this regard. But again.... someone like him, at 21??? Prime of his life and he is health conscious??? I'll openly admit it shocked me. Never heard of it being diagnosed this young before. It also just seems so unfair to me, and it makes me incredibly sad on his behalf. He still has so much life to give ahead of him. Apologies if this sounds disparaging to any diabetics reading this, I know this is not cancer, but in a way, I still feel bad for him as if it were if that makes sense....
I guess something else I am trying to say with this post outside of emotional venting. How do I help him as a non-diabetic person? Is there anything I can do outside of emotionally supporting him down the line? I want to do everything I can to help this guy in any way shape or form. Like I said, we are already close and see each other very often. I want to deal with this delicately without making him feel bad about his situation. How can I help make his life comfortable? I don't know if it's type 1 or 2 because his Dad didn't tell me, but he is going to be taking insulin shots in the near future, that's been confirmed if that helps.
Apologies for rambling.... this weighed heavily on my heart the last couple of days....
Edit: Also, I'm using a burner account to remain anonymous. Hence why it's got low karma in case anyone is wondering.