PHOENIX, Ariz- As a Valley community mourns the sudden death of Desert Vista High’s Alexandra DePriest, who had Type 1 diabetes, experts say this kind of disease is a daily struggle.
“We call our Type 1s superheroes because literally they’re saving their life every day,” said Paula Boca Bommarito, executive director for the Arizona chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Unlike Type 2, which is controllable, Boca Bommarito says Type 1 means you are insulin dependent.
“Imagine that you wake up in the morning and the first thing that you need to do is a blood test,” says Boca Bommarito.
Mesa resident Diana Thorsen was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 12 years old.
“You can’t take a vacation from it. You can’t take a break from it,” said Thorsen. She wears an insulin pump 24 hours a days.
“It’s not something that I want to define me, but at the same time, it has been a big trial in my life and it has, in a way, defined me,” added Thorsen.
On Thursday evening, Alexandra DePriest will be honored at the boys' volleyball game at Desert Vista High School.