| Shave time of your life? Hardly? I was dxed later (at 14) but I certainly don't feel like I'm getting a shorter life. Provided you manage your diabetes well, there's simply no reason at all why it should affect your life expectancy. But don't take it from me. Take it from the members we have here who were diagnosed with T1 in their childhood - back in the 1940s.
Another flip side is this - I honestly believe I'm healthier because I have diabetes rather than in spite of having it. This is because I'm much more aware of what I put in my body and the relationship between health and exercise than most 'normal' people would be. You also get instant results. I don't stuff myself with food because I worry it'll make me fat in the long-term (although yes, it would). I don't stuff myself with food because I know it means in a few hours' time I'll have to worry about getting my BG back down to normal. I eat a healthier diet and lead a healthier lifestyle than I ever would had I not been dxed.
Then look in the bright side. There'll be a cure in 25 years' time so all this is moot anyway.  | 
