The one of the first things I remember about grade school were the "duck and cover" drills we would have from time to time. The reason for these we were given was because the communists might attack at any moment.
Who were the communists?
We were told in lectures and film-strip presentations that they were bad people who wanted to take over the world. They might bomb us (hence the drills), but what they really wanted to do was to take over our minds, and erase our identities.
At that point everyone would think exactly the same, we would just follow orders and never know our true selves, who we were meant to be, or care anything about our lives.
I decided then, that no one, or no thing would ever take over my life, or my identity, or my purpose for living.

I can't remember a time when I didn't have Diabetes, though I do remember being in the hospital, I was there wearing my every-day clothes with my parents. Our family doctor was there and he gave me a big glass beaker with a clear syrup-like liquid in it and told me that I had to drink the whole thing down. It tasted awful because it was so sweet, but I drank it anyway. They must have drawn some blood and a few days later informed my parents that I had diabetes, but I don't remember any of that.
Becoming Diabetic was just another event in a bad year. I had been sick from a case of the measles, and my first dog had just died.