Honored to Be a Guest...

I am beyond thrilled to be guest posting over @sixuntilme!  Kerri is enjoying the first few weeks of motherhood.  She has been so gracious in allowing others to fill up her blog while she gets to know her new precious baby girl.  And, I was so happy to be her guest!

So, go on over and take a peek...I share about meeting another D mom...this time, in person!  Can you tell I'm excited?!!!

Introducing...Captain Insulin!

Captain Insulin...a superhero, for sure!

This November, during Diabetes Awareness Month, I have had the pleasure of having a couple different D moms guest post here.  Today, I have another special treat.  I am so excited and feel priveleged to be able to share the perspective of a teenager, living with type 1 diabetes since the age of 5.  He is now a high school senior, very involved in sports and high school activities.  Recently, his thoughts have been turned to college.  Applications have been filled out and submitted.  What follows is Michael's personal statement as written by him...part of his college application process.  I am happy to introduce Michael, son to Melinda (@notsostilllifes) whose own guest post showed a mom's perspective on her son's experiences living with type 1.  Now, we get to hear from Michael! 

(Oh, and Captain Insulin?  Not too long ago, Mom shared Michael's Halloween costume...Captain Insulin!  It's awesome...so I had to include it!)
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On June 30, 1997, when I was only five years old, I was diagnosed with Type1 Insulin Dependent Diabetes.  At first, I was devastated.  It seemed like the worst thing that could ever happen to someone.  My days, once carefree, were now dominated by injections, finger pricks, and pain.  Food, instead of being something that I could enjoy, was now a chore because I was forced to count carbohydrates before I ate, and inject insulin accordingly.  I felt sorry for myself.  None of my peers could ever imagine what I went through on a daily basis.  It didn't seem fair.

Within a few years, however, I developed a completely new mindset about diabetes.  Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I now took it as a challenge that was presented to me, to see what kind of a person I really was.  I became determined to beat diabetes by always staying in control of it.  I was not going to let diabetes define who I was, but instead use it to show myself what I could become.
Over the years, I have adapted to life with diabetes.  The injections and finger pricks that used to haunt my thoughts are now just a part of everyday life.  Although I think about every bite of food that I eat, these thoughts are in the back of my mind, creating room for other important thoughts that average teenagers have.  Yes, I have diabetes, but that does not stop me from doing everything that my peers do.  I play competitive sports year-round, go to the beach, have wonderful friends, and keep my grades up in school.

I see now that diabetes has been the catalyst to make me work harder at everything I do.  What once limited me, or so I thought, has actually made me stronger.  Diabetes has made me tough, mentally as well as physically.  It has made me really appreciate hard work and what it takes to be successful.  Diabetes has also made me compassionate.  It has made me want to reach out to those meeting life's challenges head to head, just as I did, and give them love and support.  For example, last summer I worked as a coach at a soccer camp, and three diabetic children attended one of my sessions.  Soccer camp was the very first place their parents had left them alone, and felt comfortable enough to do so, because I was there to take care of them.

I am very aware of the medical complications that I may face later in life, regardless of how well I take care of myself, but this does not stop me from doing everything in my power to stay in control of my diabetes.  I thought diabetes was going to limit me, but I prove everyday that it doesn't.  I took a challenge many years ago, and I'm going to see it through until the end, because that's the person diabetes has helped me to become.
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Michael, that is quite the statement!  Thank you for letting us post this.  Wow, what a great perspective...one I hope my own daughter will have as she struggles yet grows strong because of type 1.  Thank you for that inspiration for type 1 kids everywhere...and for moms everywhere too! 

Is it any wonder after reading Melinda's post, that she would raise a young man such as this?  Thank you, Melinda!

Time to Wait (D-Blog Day 2009)

It's D-Blog Day...and I feel priveleged to bring you this post today!  I get to introduce another special D Mom! A while ago, Dina (@DinaMullins) shared a song she had written called Time to Wait.  There is an incredible story that goes along with this song.  You see, Dina is the mother of Benjamin (5 years old)...just diagnosed with diabetes in July of this year.  The intriguing part is that she wrote this song before his diagnosis.  She wrote it while thinking about a family friend who had diabetes...someone she knew while growing up as a young child.  Some would think, coincidence.  But I don't think Dina sees it that way!
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Time To Wait
By Dina Mullins

Sometimes I feel so low
I don’t know which way to go
Every time I turn around
Seems I’m headed face-first towards the ground
They search for cures, but there not there
I wait for answers to my prayers
How much longer will I have to wait?
Do I have time to wait?


And I wait
For them to find the reason why
And I wait
Will I have to say goodbye?
Will the answers come in time for me to stay?
Oh, how I pray, for time to wait


Every day I try to lift my head up high
I see the look in other people’s eyes
Don’t pity me
Oh, can’t you see, that I still have my dignity
I’m just like you
I love and laugh and I have hope and dreams
And sometimes it seems
That I have time to wait


And I wait
For them to find the reason why
And I wait
Will I have to say goodbye?
Will the answers come in time for me to stay?
Oh, how I pray, for time to wait


Time to wait
I’ve got a life I want to live
Time to wait
I’ve got so much love I want to give
Time to wait
There’s so many things that I still have to say
Just one more day?
Time to wait

And I wait
For them to find the reason why
And I wait
Will I have to say goodbye?
Will the answers come in time for me to stay?
Oh, how I pray, for time to wait

Dear God, I pray… for time to wait

…time …to….wait

…time…to…wait
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Dina, thank you for sharing your creative and touching song with us!  You can read more from Dina at her new blog:  RockReality...oh, and hey!...It's Dina's birthday today!  Happy Birthday!!

Time to Wait is property of Dina Mullins.  It is a violation of copyright law to reproduce it in any manner without her written consent.  So don't do it!

This is a cool logo, don't you think?...thanks to Chris at The Big D Blog.

Guest Post from a Special D Mom!

When a diagnosis of diabetes is given to a family, it can be a lonely road.  The statistics of diabetes are staggering.  However, only a small percentage of diagnoses are type 1.  When C was first diagnosed, we knew just one girl who was type 1...only an aquaintance at the time.  And, though so many children have type 1, they are not all in one place.  So, yeah, we felt alone.

At first, I searched the internet, reading article after article about diabetes.  Most were strictly factual.  Then I came across organizations such as the JDRF...proof that there are a whole lot of families out there, just like us!  When C began using an insulin pump, there was a whole new subject to research.  Enter the DOC.  And by DOC, I mean the "diabetes online community."  And, that's when I found Kerri @sixuntilme...a young woman, living a full and happy life with diabetes.  Her writing inspired me (and she's funny!)  Her blog pointed to tons of other D bloggers.  It opened more and more windows for us to learn about this thing called diabetes.  Last but not least came Twitter.  It's strange.  But some people roll their eyes when I mention Twitter.  Really, it has become invaluable for me.  These people provide encouragement, a venting station, a resource for learning.

I am so happy to introduce a guest-poster today.  A special D mom I've "met," Melinda  (@notsostilllifes), has graciously written about her son, who is now a senior in high school, diagnosed at the age of 5.  So, she's "been there, done that."  And I have learned a ton from her.  I hope you enjoy getting to know her a bit too!  (An interesting sidenote about Melinda?...She paints beatiful watercolor paintings!  You can find them on Etsy.)

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On June 30th, 1997 my then 5-year-old son, Michael, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  I suspected something was up with him before the diagnosis.  He was thirstier, and using the bathroom more often than usual.  Then, he wet the bed 2 nights in a row.  Not just a little wet.  Wet from neck to ankles wet.  He had never wet the bed before.  I had a book I used to look up symptoms and it said "Bed wetting in a previously trained child" was a symptom of diabetes.  We headed to the pediatrician, but I already knew the diagnosis.  She looked at him, and said that it would be highly unusual for him to have diabetes because he looked so well, hadn't lost a pound, and had had his Kindergarten check up in April and was fine then, but to be prudent, she would test his urine.  I saw that strip poised over the cup, and knew that with that dip our lives would change forever.  So began the roller coaster ride of living with diabetes.

Six weeks after he was diagnosed, we packed the car with his two brothers (Daniel was 8, and Dylan was 3) and headed to Bearskin Meadows Family Camp.  There, we were tossed a lifeline.  We met wonderful young adults with Type 1, who were happy, healthy and well adjusted.  I realized that Michael could grow up and be like them.  We were taught to take the judgment words out of blood sugar readings.  They were High, Low And Target, not Good or Bad.  You either needed insulin, food, or nothing.  Food wasn't good or bad either.  You just needed to carb count and cover.  We were also told to let Michael be a kid first, and a diabetic second.  Camp was such a safe haven.

12 years later, Michael is a healthy, happy well-adjusted 17 year old with diabetes.  Has it always been easy?  No.  At 14, he and his older brother were at a sleep away camp about 35 miles from home at Santa Clara University, staying in dorms.  It was a big step for us, but he was ready for it.  The phone rang at 1 am about 3 days into camp.  It was Daniel.  "Mom, Michael's having a seizure and I can't wake him up".  Michael had not cut back enough on his insulin to make up for 12 hours of basketball for the past 3 days.  Daniel had to call 911, and get paramedics to the dorms.  He handled it like a champion.  Michael remembers "waking up" on the gurney having the paramedics asking him questions he knew he should be able to answer, but couldn't.  Scary?  Yes.  Learning opportunity?  Absolutely.

I can't even believe that this time next year he will be in college.  We don't yet know where.  Would I like to keep him home?  Yes.  But I know I can't.  We have raised him with wings, and he is getting ready to fly.  He wants to play college volleyball (and soccer too) and major in Marine Biology.  He wants to live in the dorms, and have the college experience.  I am so proud of him.  I know he will be successful, diabetes and all.  I know that I can let him go, but it won't be easy.   I used to say that the hardest thing I'd ever done was learning to poke a needle into my little guy.  I'm anticipating, however, that saying goodbye and driving away from wherever he chooses for college is going to be even harder.  I guess it's just another one of the hills and dips on the roller coaster, and we will still get to enjoy the ride.
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Thank you, Melinda!!