The Big Blue Test

The Big Blue Test is almost here!  On November 14th, at 2:00 pm (local time).Click here to find out more about the Big Blue Test and the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

Here's something you can do right now to, not only help spread awareness, but to give life-saving insulin to children in need.  Just watch the following video.  That's it.  Simple, right?!  It will take a mere minute and 49 seconds of your time but will give a child with diabetes a week supply of insulin!

Then, spread the word by telling your friends and family to do the same.  Post it on facebook.  Tweet about it on twitter.  Email the link to everyone you know.  Let's see how many views we can help make happen between now and November 14th...

What Did You SAE?

November 1st.  It's just the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month!  Around here, we're going to lay out some facts and SAE It Loud!  (Thanks Sarah, aka: Sugabetic, for rallying the troops!)

The idea here, is to SUPPORT, ADVOCATE, and EDUCATE about diabetes...to bring to light the facts on this, too often, misunderstood disease.

There are so many great things happening this month!  Here are just a few:

• SAE It Loud day...cruise around the blogosphere and give some comment love to fellow D-bloggers.  Here's a list of participating blogs from Sarah...
• JDRF Walk at Dodgers Stadium on Sunday, November 7th.  C is captain of her first team and we're excited!
• November 9th is D-Blog Day.  Topic:  what 6 things do you want people to know about diabetes?  Check in with your diabetes' BFF, Gina to learn more!
• November 14th is World Diabetes Day...yes, world!  This is the day to drench ourselves in blue and "bring diabetes to light" around the globe.
• The Big Blue Test will be happening on November 14th as part of World Diabetes Day.
• and so many more things that will unfold this month!

The underlying hope, running through all these events?...a cure.

However, in between, and long after November, life with diabetes will continue.  Every day.  Counting carbs before every meal.  Finger sticking multiple times a day.  The monstrous fear of complications.  I guess it's our motivation then, to raise awareness...and SAE It Loud!

A Circle of Blue

Yes, the blue cupcakes!

It was a beautiful day on Saturday.  Yes, the weather was near perfect here in Southern California.  Yes, C's soccer team won their last game.  Yes, big C's baseball team had an extraordinary first day of their tournament.  But there was something else that made it a great day.

There was an energy that was being spread, across the globe, really.  World Diabetes Day was here!  The big build-up to the Big Blue Test was being felt via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, news channels, even a mention on a radio show.  We felt connected.  We felt so amazingly different than during those first couple years after C's diagnosis.  We felt understood.  We felt encouraged by friends we've never even met face to face...yet.  We felt compelled to reach out to others.  We felt hope.

We participated in the Big Blue Test.  We posted C's numbers.  They weren't great...188 and 192 after exercise.  I wanted different numbers!  But as I posted them, I thought, well, that just goes to show the inexplainable when it comes to diabetes!

We baked our blue cupcakes.  We enjoyed them after snapping a few pictures with them in the shape of the World Diabetes Day circle.  We bolused a guess for 30 grams.  C ended up at 212 a couple hours later, but we corrected and went on with our beautiful day.  We painted our nails blue.  And, Big C really wanted to join in, but Dad protested. 

And while huge monuments were being lit up in blue across the world, friends all over the place were doing all sorts of creative things to bring diabetes to light.  There was a collage.  Tatoos.  Poems.  Beautiful photography.  Blue Christmas lights being strung.  This year's best diabetic duo SugaSheen putting Beyonce to shame!  It was amazing.  We came up with some other ideas that we're tucking away for next year.  We had fun!

And, like I said, we felt...hope.

                           

The BIG Blue Test

The BIG Blue Test is almost here!!!  And, in case you don't know what that means, I thought I'd give a rundown.  However, I can't say it any better than this guy...Manny Hernandez (founder of TuDiabetes, a diabetes online community).  I borrowed the following from him.  And I know he doesn't mind...Let's do this thing!



November 14 is World Diabetes Day. On that day, at 14:00 hours (local time), thousands of people with diabetes will test their blood sugar, do 14 minutes of exercise, test again and share their results on TuDiabetes or on Twitter.

The event is called The Big Blue Test because blue is the color associated with World Diabetes Day. It is based on a test-in activity that took place July 14, where more than a thousand people with diabetes tested their blood sugar at the same time and shared their results online. This time, the activity incorporates 14 minutes of physical activity to reinforce the importance of exercise.

Participating in this event to raise diabetes awareness on November 14 is easy:

1. At 2 pm (your local time), test your blood sugar.

2. Run, jog, walk the dog or do anything you’d normally do as part of your exercise routine for 14 minutes.

3. Test your blood sugar again.

4. If you are a member of TuDiabetes click on the home page banner and share your readings and what exercise you did between them. If you have a camera, you can also add a photo of your reading(s) or you exercising.

5. If you have a Twitter account, post your readings on Twitter (use the #bigblue hashtag) and link back to: http://bigbluetest.org.

We hope to see most readings posted at 14 hours (2 pm) local time, on November 14. If you are early or late, it’s OK.

What really matters is that you test your blood sugar often and that you exercise regularly. If you don’t have diabetes, you can still take The Big Blue Test. Regardless, tell others to test, exercise and share on November 14.

IMPORTANT:

If due to disability or medical advice you cannot exercise, naturally we don't expect you to do anything that will put you or your health at risk. We'd love you to participate entering your blood sugar readings.

Diabetes Awareness Month...It's On!

And so begins November, diabetes awareness month.  There's so much going on!  Where to start?  Here's a few ideas to stir the diabetes advocate in all of us.

• Well, how about we start simply by bringing attention to it.  Have you put that little blue circle on your twitter avatar yet?  How about your facebook picture?  That's a simple way to draw out conversation about it.  Then, friends and family may ask, "what does that little blue circle mean?"

• Take those teachable moments this month and do something with them.  Instead of smiling and nodding, really explain why you're testing your or your child's blood.  When a person mentions your "beeper," actually tell them it's an insulin pump that delivers insulin to your body...and...not just to keep you healthy, but to keep you alive.  Explain to someone who thinks diabetes means staying away from sugar, that, in all seriousness, sugar is extremely necessary in diabetes.  (You know, I'm writing all these suggestions down because, really, I need to do these things too!)

• Sign a petition!  Sign the Google Doodle petition.  It's asking Google to light their homepage doodle in blue to raise awareness for World Diabetes Day (November 14th).

• So much more going on.  Take a look at the World Diabetes Day website.

• Join diabetes social site like TuDiabetes or T1P (Type 1 Parents).

• On World Diabetes Day (November 14th) there will be a whole diabetes community blood glucose check at 2:00 pm eastern time.  Check and post the number on your twitter account, facebook, blog or website.

• And, don't forget to wear blue!

If we take even these small steps together, we can help raise awareness.

8-10 Times a Day

A 7 year old's routine, 8-10 times a day.

I've read many a blog with statistics about how many injections have been given, how many finger pokes have happened...even the extreme cost of managing diabetes.  So, here's our stab at it...just the lancing issue...

Since her diagnosis at age 22 months, we estimate that C has had approximately 21,350 finger pokes, give or take a few hundred.  (Wow...seeing that number in print turns my stomach.) You can't tell by the picture, but her littlle fingers are speckled with lancet wounds.  We continually tell her to rotate fingers and use the sides, but she is a creature of habit and has her favorite (ug!).  When it is most apparent is after bathing or swimming.  The holes, literally open up, and look so huge on her little fingers.

Where am I going with this??  Pity?  Hardly.  Awareness?  Yes.  We need a cure.  This should not be the daily routine of a 2nd grader...or anyone, for that matter.  It's tiring.  Sometimes all-consuming.  And, it hurts.  I've done it to my own fingers.  C will tell you that it's just a pinch.  She doesn't flinch, not even in her sleep.  She may have built up a tolerance for it.  But, it does hurt.

WDD is coming.  (World Diabetes Day)  November 14th.  The diabetes community is buzzing about awareness campaigns.   And so my mind is wandering with thoughts of what we can do to raise it up a notch.  Maybe simply sharing what exactly goes into "managing" this disease can help just a tiny bit.

Go to the World Diabetes Day website and learn more about this global campaign.

(Off the subject, sidenote: big news over at sixuntilme.com today...shout out to Kerri...yay!!!)

WDD is Coming!

World Diabetes Day is only a few weeks away.  November 14th.  It is actually the birthday of Frederick Banting, one of the people who discovered insulin!  What will you do to mark this day as part of your fight against this disease?

There are a lot of ideas swirling around the internet about it.  It's great!!  I thought I would list a bunch of things that are in the works out there.  Who knows?  It may spark some advocacy in your hearts (or mine!)

• First off, go to http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/ and subscribe to the email newsletter to stay informed of activities and ideas.
• Macy's Shop for a Cause http://tinyurl.com/shop4cure Donate $5 and receive a voucher (good on October 17th) for 20% off all items plus 25% off one.  (Hey, do your Christmas shopping early!)
• Help make WDD go viral!  Go to http://www.wddusa.org/ for a list of great ways to help in the cause.
• Sign the World Diabetes Day USA petition and commit to doing just 3 things for this important event.  They give you lots of ideas!
• Put a WDD banner on your personal/company website/blog. http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/materials/web-banners
• Light a blue candle on November 14th.
• Educate a friend about warning signs of diabetes.
• Simply wear blue in support of World Diabetes Day.
• Go to http://www.jdrf.org and start a walk team.
• Go to http://www.diabetesdoodle.com/ and sign the petition asking Google to light their homepage doodle in blue for diabetes awareness November 14th.
• Tu Diabetes is sponsoring a video contest called "Making Sense of Diabetes"--go to http://tudiabetes.com/notes/Making_Sense_of_Diabetes for all the info.  Each week, the focus will be on one of the five senses and how your diabetes relates.  Interesting stuff!

So, these are just a few examples of the creativity flying around out there.  Some ideas are so simple.  Some require some forethought.  Or...you may have an idea all your own!  Let's help make World Diabetes Awareness Day count.