My name is Lisa Lippe and this is my story…
At the age of fifteen I was diagnosed with Type-One Diabetes. I was nervous, however, my dad has had diabetes for over forty years and I watched him take care of himself growing up. He was the best role model.
Since I was fifteen, I knew I would soon be starting driver’s education. In the hospital room my dad told me that while driving, his low blood sugar caused him to black out, lose control of his car and smash into a tree. Truck drivers on the highway stopped to help and called police. When the police arrived, they did not want to listen to his explanation.
So I thought about it for a bit and came up with the idea of a driver decal. This would alert the police or any medical personal that the driver had diabetes if they could not tell them themselves. My dad decided to create our company, DAD Innovations or Dad and Daughter Innovations. I did not want anyone to go through what my dad experienced the night of his accident.
When I completed high school, I decided to go to my community college. I felt this was the best idea for me, since I wanted to work and was not quite ready to leave. I joined various clubs and met many people. I set a personal goal which was to get all A’s and B’s. I accomplished this goal by getting a G.P.A. of 3.9.
After community college, I transferred to a four year university. This was about two and a half hours from my hometown. It was a struggle at first to be so far away from my parents, but I soon made many friends. I tried to join just about everything because I wanted to fit in a four-year experience into two. I still set my goal of getting A’s and B’s. I accomplished this goal by getting a G.P.A. of 3.9.
Overall, diabetes has never stopped me from accomplishing my goals. I have set my goals high and hope that others will too.
