On the outside, Wayne State College senior Carrie Cravens and junior Amanda Hartman look like typical college students.

 
But on the inside, their bodies are fighting a battle against themselves, because their pancreases are not able to produce the insulin their bodies need to regulate their blood sugars.

 
Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas by beta cells and helps the body to properly metabolize sugars.

 
The American Diabetes Association said nearly 10 percent of the United States population (close to 30 million individuals) is affected by diabetes. In addition to this number, another 86 million Americans are afflicted by pre-diabetes and are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

 
On WSC’s campus, there are about 20 students and several professors with diabetes.

 
Both Cravens and Hartman were diagnosed at the young ages of 12 and 3, respectively. Since their diagnosis, they have been living each day paying a little more attention to what they consume than most, and poking themselves anywhere from two to more than 10 times per day to check their blood sugars levels.

 
To many, this may seem like a lot of work. But to them, it’s just a part of life.

 
As with most college students, the adjustment to taking on a new place on their own had its difficulties. And unlike most freshmen who are able to begin questionable-to-health college habits without batting an eye, students such as Cravens and Hartman had to try and fight these unhealthy urges to keep themselves well.

 
“You just get used to seeing food as a numerical amount before anything else,” Cravens said. “You do the math and become more conscious of what you’re eating.”

 
In addition to nutrition, Hartman added that stress due to classes and extra activities tends to raise blood sugars even more, causing yet again more obstacles for them to overcome.

 
Another thought both individuals have had to consider is the consumption of alcohol that can often times come as a package deal with college life.

 
As Cravens explained, even with functioning beta cells, there is no science of how to safely drink.

 
“When drinking, you have to check before you drink, while you drink and after you drink,” said Hartman,regarding her blood sugars.

 
“Alcohol is a depressant, so it will lower your blood sugar. But with mixed drinks, I really have to monitor it because of the high amounts of sugar mixed with the alcohol.”

 
Both women agreed that they have found it important to make their friends aware of their diabetes and the risks in the event of an emergency situation.

 
However, even with the extra math and finger-poking they find themselves doing daily, Hartman said she doesn’t want anyone to give her special treatment as a result.

 
“I don’t like it when people say ‘oh, I’m sorry’ about my diabetes,” Hartman said. “People start to think of it as a way of defining you.”

 
November is American Diabetes month, and in order to crush some of the misconceptions and stereotypes of diabetes, Hartman, Cravens and other diabetics around campus shared some of their most memorable and ridiculous comments and questions made about their diabetes.

 
Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions is that there is a bad kind of diabetes. To Cravens, neither type 1 nor type 2 is worse than the other. There are also other types of diabetes, including type 1.5 (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults) and gestational diabetes.

 
This year, the American Diabetes Association is celebrating its 75th anniversary and is challenging America to eat well, as healthy food can help not only in diabetes management, but help all of America to become healthier.