I never thought I\u2019d have to defend my right to eat a protein bar on a flight. But on a trip from Chicago to Seattle, I found myself doing just that\u2014arguing with entitled parents who believed their child\u2019s \u201csensory sensitivities\u201d outweighed my medical needs. I\u2019ve lived with type 1 diabetes since I was twelve. Managing it means acting fast when my blood sugar drops\u2014something that couldn\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n
As the plane taxied, I felt my glucose crashing. I quietly reached for my protein bar, only to be asked not to eat because it might bother their son. Against my instincts, I agreed to wait for the snack cart, even as my symptoms worsened\u2014sweaty, shaky, lightheaded. I was putting their comfort ahead of my health, and I knew it.<\/p>\n
When the cart finally came, they doubled down\u2014asking the flight attendant to skip our row entirely. That\u2019s when I spoke up, loud enough for nearby passengers to hear: \u201cI have diabetes. I have to eat now, or I could pass out.\u201d The attendant immediately brought me food. The parents objected, but the people around us backed me up without hesitation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I never thought I\u2019d have to defend my right to eat a protein bar on a flight. But on a trip from Chicago to Seattle, I found… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"yoast_head":"\n