As a teenager in high school and sports, it is common to feel like you have a weight on your shoulders. The weight of being enough. Being enough for your family, friends, mentors, and most importantly yourself.
I’m Georgina, I’m 16 years old and I have something called Reactive Hypoglycemia.
It wasn’t till the beginning of my grade 11 year that things started to change. I would suddenly become shaky, dizzy, weak, and sweaty. Sometimes my vision would blur, my heart would race, and it felt like my brain simply stopped working. The episodes could happen out of nowhere, leaving me exhausted and scared. As they became more frequent, I knew there had to be a reason for what I was experiencing.
When I first went to my doctor, there weren’t immediate answers. My symptoms didn’t fit neatly into a box, and for a while, nobody seemed to know exactly what was going on. Although it was frustrating, my doctor recognized that I needed more specialized care and referred me to the Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.
At the Children’s Hospital, I was met by an incredible team of healthcare professionals who listened carefully, took my concerns seriously, and worked hard to find answers. For the first time, I felt heard. After undergoing assessments and discussing my symptoms in detail, I was diagnosed with Reactive Hypoglycemia.
Receiving a diagnosis brought a sense of relief. I finally had an explanation for what my body had been trying to tell me all along. But it also marked the beginning of a new journey, one that involved learning how to manage my condition every day.
One of the most difficult parts wasn’t just the symptoms. It was the loneliness.
When people hear about blood sugar conditions, they often think of Type 1 diabetes. There are communities, resources, awareness campaigns, and many others who understand that experience. But Reactive Hypoglycemia is much less common, and I often felt like I was navigating it alone.
I searched for people my age who understood what I was going through. I wanted someone who knew what it felt like to constantly think about food, to worry about symptoms appearing unexpectedly, or to explain a condition that many people had never even heard of. Sometimes it felt isolating because there simply weren’t many stories like mine to find.
As a teenager, that loneliness was hard. It’s difficult enough trying to fit in and keep up with school, activities, and friends without feeling different because of a medical condition. There were times when I wondered if anyone truly understood what I was experiencing.
Over time, however, I learned that even when a condition is rare, you are never truly alone. I found support through my family, friends, and healthcare team. The people around me may not have had Reactive Hypoglycemia themselves, but they cared enough to learn, listen, and support me.
Living with Reactive Hypoglycemia has taught me to pay close attention to my body. I’ve learned the importance of balanced meals, regular snacks, and recognizing the signs that my blood sugar may be dropping. I’ve become my own advocate and learned how to explain my condition to others.
Most importantly, this experience has taught me resilience.
While Reactive Hypoglycemia is something I manage every day, it does not define who I am. I am a student, a daughter, a friend, and a young woman with goals, dreams, and a future ahead of me. My diagnosis is part of my story, but it is not the whole story.
If sharing my experience helps even one person feel less alone, then it is worth telling. Because I know firsthand how much it means to hear someone say, “I’ve been there too.”
And if there is another young person out there struggling to find answers or wondering whether anyone understands, I want them to know this: your symptoms are real, your experience matters, and you are not alone.
Stories like Georgina’s remind us that every rare disease journey is unique, and that awareness, understanding, and support can make a meaningful difference.