Neurodiversity and Medically Atypical

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 One of the kids asked me to explain Type 1 diabetes. Okay, it's like this, our bodies need insulin to regulate our blood sugar, so we don't die. Your body makes it without you even knowing. My body can't, so I have to give myself insulin through out the day. Without insulin, I would die. Luckily, insulin was not lost or destroyed when the climate collapsed and caused a global apocalypse. We actually had a cure for diabetes and some other things that are back now. Things like cancer, asthma, epilepsy, and all kinds of stuff but poof, everything was destroyed. 

Anyway, almost every time I eat, I give myself insulin. Sometimes, I still go high and get super thirsty and have trouble focusing. Once, I took my insulin pump off on accident and started vomiting within hours. It felt like my body was shutting down.  I had an emergency shot of insulin and got better... Let's talk about lows.   Snacking is an Olympic sport for me. Feeling dizzy? Grab a candy. Too hyper? Probably should've skipped that last candy. Type 1 is all about balancing blood sugars. Somedays I collapsed into bed absolutely exhausted. And I wake up and ride the blood sugar roller coaster again. 

 Brain differences are much more common than you may realize. I'm going try to explain what being neurodivergent means to me as  simply as possible, which is difficult because all our brains and experiences are unique and magnificent. But here goes... Okay, so you know how a crayon box has all those different shades of each color? Think of brains like that, but each brain is a different crayon color, shade and texture. And some of us, well, our crayons color outside the lines a bit because that's how our brains work. 

For instance, someone might be vibrant - autism, or bold and textured -  dyslexia. Others might be swirls of color - OCD or have deep hues - bipolar, neon and smooth - sensory processing, pastel - social anxiety or Tourette's. These are just different ways our brains process information and emotions.  

Take me, for example, with my ADHD. The first time Killian and I hiked to Wallace Street for supplies, we forgot our map, but I remembered every single twist and turn from memory! Sometimes, my brain can really laser-focus. Everyone's brain is unique.  

So to explain neurodiversity, for me, it's like everyone's brain is a different color crayon, making one spectacular drawing. None of them are wrong or right; they're just... different. And hey, it takes all those colors and textures to make a really awesome piece of art, right? 

 You want to know about food allergies? Okay, okay, I got this! So, you know how in video games there are certain things your character can't touch or they lose a life? Food allergies are kinda like that for people. There are certain foods that, if I eat them, my body goes 'Nope! Not cool! I'm shutting everything down. Then, my throat is on fire, and I can't breath! Basically, I get really sick and have to epi pen myself. It's like my body thinks that certain food is a bad guy, even though it's totally fine for most people. So, I just have to be really careful and make sure I know what's in the food I eat. Think of it as me being on a special quest where I have to dodge certain foods to stay alive and in the game! Cool, right? Well... kinda cool. I do wish I could eat everything, but hey, we all got something we gotta deal with, right? 

Man, you just gave me an amazing idea!  I am going to make this into a video game. I'll get some of the kids in the Underground to help.  Here's my pitch - In a world where food allergies are taken to the extreme, one hero stands against a horde of nut-infused challenges. Our protagonist, Alex, possesses an unusually potent allergy: even a mere brush with tree nuts sends him spiraling into a deadly reaction.  Alex must avoid direct contact with  any product containing nuts. The nuts will be scattered all over the game – some will be easy to spot, while others may be hidden or camouflaged.  Players can collect 'EpiPens' scattered throughout levels, which can reverse the effects of an allergic reaction, but only if used in time.  Safe Foods: There are safe foods that provide Alex with power-ups, like speed boost, invincibility, and others to help him navigate through tricky situations.  As a special ability, Alex can deploy an "Allergy Detector" which momentarily reveals hidden nuts and allergens in the vicinity. Limited use per level. 

Cool game, right? Man, I think I'm gonna be rich!