If I suddenly become irritable on an otherwise normal day, my wife knows that there is a relatively good chance my blood sugar is running low (I mean, what else could impair my extraordinarily pleasant disposition?). She’s quick to point it out to me and get me something sweet, and she’s also quick to forgive. She is the biggest part of my diabetes support staff, and I often fail to show her my gratitude for standing by my side through all the ups and downs of diabetes.

With the timing of our recent World Diabetes Day and upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I got to thinking about how so much of our lives as diabetics is focused strictly on us. It often becomes all about managing our blood sugars, keeping stocked on our supplies, and counting our carbs. With so much of the focus on us, there is a large group that is greatly affected by diabetes that is missed—that is, those living with us and supporting us each and every day.

We often don’t recognize that these supporters are, in some ways, affected by diabetes just as much as we are. Why?—because they love us. And because they love us, they worry about us. And we gain so much from it because they constantly look out for us; they inspire us; and they lovingly slap our hands when we try and take too many servings of that high-carb dessert. Maybe it’s time that we gave special thanks to them.

There seems to be a day devoted to everything and every cause you can imagine. Why don’t we have one for those who help us survive with diabetes? I think diabetes would certainly qualify with its epidemic scale. But what date would we pick? And the even bigger question: What would we call such a day? Here are a few ideas:

• Diabetes Supporters Day
• Diabetes Support Staff Day
• Non-Diabetics Living with Diabetes Day (NDLWDD)
• Gratitude for Support Day

Those all sound terrible to me. There’s got to be one that encapsulates the idea but has a catchy sound (and maybe even a clever acronym). I’m short on ideas today. Maybe my blood sugar is low and affecting the creative process. Where’s that wife of mine with the orange juice? Arghh . . . I’m getting irritable again.

Or, maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree, or going down the wrong road, or whatever metaphor you want to use.

Maybe, just maybe, we don’t need a special giant-scale, worldwide, high-profile day of recognition. Maybe all we need is to just begin recognizing the efforts of those around us. It can all start with something as simple as giving our loved one a big extended hug and saying, “Thank you. My diabetes is better because of you.” Or if a friend tipped you off that something wasn’t right one day, go buy him a grossly overpriced Starbucks creation and say, “Thanks, buddy, for looking out for me.” Sometimes our pride makes it hard to do this because a show of gratitude is also an admission of need, and that need is something we tend to perceive as a personal flaw. But it shouldn’t bother us. We all have needs and we are all flawed in some way or another—every single one of us.

Virtues such as gratitude and courtesy are dying in our society. We have to bring them back. Maybe that special date we need to mark on our calendars is today. A new future can start right now with just one kind expression of appreciation for a glass of OJ.

–Tad