World Diabetes Day and the Big Blue Test 2011

Okay, so when I reminded the kids this weekend that Monday was World Diabetes Day, they totally wanted to do something in honor of the day.

(Pretty cool, yes?)

So of course we opted to do the Big Blue Test.

Why?

Because each and every time any one of us does the Big Blue Test and submits our results, we help raise $75,000 for organizations out there helping people with diabetes.

C'mon folks. It's easy.

(And if you can do it with someone you love, it's even easier.)

World Diabetes Day 2010

In what has become a tradition on the blog, I'm letting Joseph's voice speak for the both of us today:





(Blows my mind to look at this video, and the one from last year... and the year before... I am so dang proud of him.)


Once again, the blog is blue until the end of the month in honor of Diabetes Awareness Month.

World Diabetes Day 2009

People are gathering, talking, celebrating...

Blue is everywhere.

Once again, I'd like to add my son's voice to the chorus as he shares some of his thoughts about managing Type 1 diabetes and how he educates/involves his friends.

(We had a lot of fun doing this... our own mini WDD celebration.)





*Note: The blog stays blue until the end of the month in honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, returning to the usual orange-red hue on December 1st. :-)

His Voice

In honor of World Diabetes Day, and because this year's theme is again "Diabetes in Children and Adolescents," I'm going to step aside and let my son do the talking:

World Diabetes Day

He cried, saying that he didn't want to have diabetes.

"Mom, I'm scared."

We held each other, having absolutely no idea what this all meant.


I have such mixed feelings today.

Excitement-- about all of the attention WORLDWIDE that will be given the disease that invaded my son's body over three years ago.

And sadness-- over the fact that Joseph (and so many others) have to live with something that requires this much attention.

But still.

This is pretty damn amazing.

And really, really important.

Because think about it:

Every year approximately 70,000 children (nearly 200 a day) are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes-- a disease that, in the absence of insulin and careful monitoring every single day for the rest of their lives, would be a death sentence.

And even with insulin and careful monitoring, there is always the immediate danger of life threatening low-blood sugars; the specter of long-term complications.

Every. Single. Day.

Now, you might assume that most people have at least a basic understanding of this disease.

One that affects so many-- with such devastating consequences.

A disease for which there is no cure.

But, they don't.

In fact, according to a recent nationwide survey, "nearly 80% of the American public does not know the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes."

Worse, almost 70% believe a cure exists for type 1 diabetes.

So, people-- today is big.

Very big.

Because today is all about awareness.

About education and understanding-- and hopefully, motivation to act.

Please take a moment and think about how you can take part.

Maybe it's as simple as taking a walk.

Or gathering with others to witness (and be inspired by) a symbol of hope.

Or maybe it's giving time or money to an organization that supports diabetes research, education, and advocacy; or one that gets diabetes supplies to those who don't have access to the medication and education they need to survive.

Whatever you decide, just please let it be something.

For my son.

For all of the children and adults living with this disease.

And for those of us who love them.

Because It's Still November

And because today is World Diabetes Day, I wanted to share our experience with some of the universal challenges faced by children with diabetes, as well as those who support them-- along with information about a couple of useful products.

First off, I'm gonna do some recyling here. Yes, this is a bit lazy of me, but here are links to some older posts that dealt with a few of the issues we've come across since Joseph's diagnosis:

Parents of Prospective Pumpers provides a detailed description of how we made our journey from shots to the insulin pump.

He Found Out describes the moment when Joseph learned of the potential complications of diabetes.

The Seizure Story tells of how the parents of another child with diabetes handled one of our worst fears surrounding this disease.

Diabetes Camp and Home from Camp... Something Unexpected recount my son's first experience with diabetes camp this past summer.

High High High -- well, that one's kind of self-explanatory.

And finally, a personal favorite (in hindsight only, that is) -- Bloody Peach Vanilla Cake! Oh yes, we've all experienced those unanticipated treats and the havoc they wreak...

In addition, here are two BIG product plugs:

When I first read of the Multiclix Lancet Device on a Canadian blogger's site, I tried (unsuccessfully) to order the thing through ebay-- as it was not yet available in the states. Months later, I read Kathleen's post and snapped one up. I can still remember Joseph's words as he pricked his finger with this little device for the very first time:

"Holy Cripe! Mom! I didn't feel a thing! I love this lancet!"

It was like he'd just discovered some insanely-coveted Christmas present.



And guess what? A month later, and he still loves this thing. In addition to the virtually painless poke, it uses a drum that holds six (reusable) lancets.

That's right-- no more sharp lancets to cap off!

And if all that's not cool enough, Walgreens has this lancet device (sold separate from the Accu-Chek meter) for $10 off until November 26th. Grand total-- $9.99.

Now I need to stop my rave a moment here to say, I HATE Walgreens! Please. Someone. Remind me to post sometime about exactly why I HATE Walgreens.

That said, you must get thee to a Walgreens before the 26th-- while supplies last!

Next up, Smart Charts.

These are simply awesome..

If you're looking for a tool to track blood sugars, carbs, insulin dosing and exercise, and don't own some kind of handheld computer, then this is definitely the way to go. I discovered these early on, when I began graphing Joseph's sugars manually-- trying to come up with some kind of charting system. I found that just looking at the numbers never allowed us to effectively spot trends.

I needed a graph, but one we could take with us on the go.





Enter the Smart Charts-- aka "My Other Checkbook" (because they're about the size of a checkbook). Those of you who own the book, Pumping Insulin, are probably already hep to these. You can order Smart Charts here at John Walsh's wonderful site -- Diabetes Net.

Well, that's all I've got. Hope some of this helps. And hey, sorry for the abrupt ending, but I need to start dinner, and since Blogger has a "scheduled outage" tonight, I didn't want my World Diabetes Day post to miss the boat....