Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thankful

Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving as well as my 29th Birthday, Tomorrow is a day to reflect back on life and the past year and be thankful for all the things that life has given you, thrown your way, and drained from you. Tomorrow is a day of remembrance, a day to remember all things big and small that have happened over the last 29 years.

So you may ask ...What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for so many things!!!

I am thankful that my parents gave birth to me, if they had not done that well then I wouldn't be sitting here writing this right now. I may not have the best relationship with either one of them but in the end they gave me life.

I am thankful for my 2 aunts, both of whom have been there for me whenever I was down and needed help back up wether it be financially, emotionally, of physically. They have never turned their backs but always been right there when needed and even when not needed.

I am thankful for the crazy things I did when I got out of high school while not the best decisions made in my life those decisions taught me a lot. They taught me how I did not want to live the rest of my life, they showed me what life could have been like if I chose that road and that is NOT the life I wanted for my self.  

I am thankful for my husband. We have been together since the summer before my senior year of high school, some times have been better than others like any relationship but no matter what we are still together all these years later, going strong, and have only a lifetime to go.

I am thankful for my 2 amazing children here on earth with me and one up in heaven with God. While the loss of my 2nd pregnancy to miscarriage was and still is at times very hard it just made me cherish my son and daughter that much more!! It truly showed me how a life can be there one moment and gone the next. 

I am thankful for living in a day in age when insulin in readily available through a pharmacy, we can test blood glucose at home with technology that can give us the answer in 5 seconds or less, technology has made insulin pumps so that a person can have what is ultimately a IV system that gives small does of that life saving insulin to them to keep them alive. 

I am thankful for the Diabetes Online Community, this family community has shown me and taught me things I NEVER would have known otherwise, the support system is like none other, and they all get it, they get what it is like to raise a child with Type 1 Diabetes, they get what life throws at you with this disease.

I am thankful for food!!! So many people in the world today do not have enough food to eat in any given day or meal. I am thankful that we have plenty of food on our table to feed our bellies. Food is our fuel and we all need fuel. 

I am thankful for my job. My job allows me to stay at home with my children but also help raise other people's children and help grow their brains and personality while also making an income.

I am thankful for so so many things, this list goes on and on but I know you don't want to read every detail about what I am thankful for.

During this holiday season please give forward and remember those that may need help this season.

God bless all of you

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Dear Pancreas


This month I will be posting as part of National Health Blog Post Month. I will be posting for 30 days about different topics in regards to parenting a Type 1 Diabetic and Social Media.

Today's topic is "Write a letter to your health" 


Dear Aly's pancreas,

My name is Katrina and for the last 5 years, 9 months, 20 days I have taken on your job as full time pancreas for Aly.

You decided that you would take an early retirement after only putting in 2 1/2 years at your job while keeping your full benefits but not having to do the task you were supposed to be doing. I truly wish any profession here in the real world that we could only work for 2 1/2 years and then have that company provide us with full benefits for the rest of our life.

Now just like when someone retires or quits their job, that job does not no longer exists, someone else has to pick up the slack where the previous person let off to keep the factory working ... Well pancreas the someone that had to pick up that slack was Aly, myself, Alys Dad, Alys Grandma, Alys school nurse, and many other family members and friends that help take care of Aly. For the 1 thing that you were supposed to do it takes a village to make up the slack that you left behind.

When you quit your job it meant even more jobs became available and needed to be filled because now instead of you just automatically releasing insulin into Alys body when needed we now had to lance her finger 8-10 times a day to see what your friend glucose was doing at that time, at times she was not playing fairly and had to take a seat in time out while we fixed it being mean and not playing fairly .... It meant that someone had to count all carbohydrates being consumed while also taking into account exercise, stress, illness, and many other factors (seriously I was a C student in math class, so not cool by the way!!), it meant that someone had to become an unregistered nurse and give injections upto 5 times a day and sometimes more, it meant that someone had to become a counselor to talk to their child about their diabetes and the emotions that come with this diagnosis, it meant that someone had to become an endocrinologist to help patients manage blood sugars to try to mimickthe amazing job that you did before you retired (guess what, you are the best, no one can be JUST like you.)

Some days are better than others but it still comes down to the fact that you quit, you retired, your a quitter, but in the end we will do our best to do your job just like you would have done.

Sincerely,
Alys Mom

One Inspired Evening

Kids With Courage "One Inspired Evening" Gala

On Friday November 2nd we attending for the 1st time the 3rd annual Kids With Courage "One Inspired Evening" Gala and all I can say is that it was inspiring.

When we first arrived at the gala we were greeted kindly by a door man who opened the door for us, made us feel like royalty. We proceeded to the registration table to check in and get our dinner seat assignments (we were at table 9). Checking In was such an easy task.

The night started off with lite hor dourves that were very tasty (I normally am not an hor dourves person) and a silent auction. As we toured the various tables abounding with items we were very impressed with the selection. There was a little bit of everything for everyone. We placed our bids on several items and ended up winning those items at the end of the night (Aly was very excited).

We were then moved into a very lovely decorated tent space for dinner and presentations. The speakers that they chose were VERY touching and I could not help myself but tear up during most of it. It hit VERY close to home as I feel the same way these other parents do. We also heard from a teenager who has Type 1 Diabetes and her message was very inspiring to both the parents and the other diabetic children in attendance.

The night ended with dancing, the band was great and while we did not participate in the dancing it was entertaining to watch.

We will be returning yearly and hope to see you all there supporting Kids With Courage and their Crates Full of Courage.

You can check out Kids With Courage out online at www.kidswithcourage.org

Monday, November 5, 2012

Thankful



This month I will be posting as part of National Health Blog Post Month. I will be posting for 30 days about different topics in regards to parenting a Type 1 Diabetic and Social Media.

Today's topic is "Write a #ListOf3 Things that you’re thankful for / excited about / or inspired by"

Wow a list if only 3 things I am thankful for can be hard, there are so many things in my life that I am thankful for as I am very blessed in my life.

Well I guess let's get started .....

1st off I am thankful for my daughter, my angel in heaven, and my son. I started off my parenting journey fairly young at the age of 20, this made me grow up quickly as I knew that I had to take care of this amazing bundle of joy and help her become the best person that she could be. I would never ever change that. 4 years later we got pregnant again but unfortunately for whatever reason God deemed necessary we lost that precious baby 8 weeks into the pregnancy. Even though it was heartbreaking I am still glad that I was blessed with this pregnancy because it proves just how fast a life can be taken away, there one minute, gone the next. Six months later we were pregnant again, this time my son was born and boy oh boy does he give me a run for my sanity, even at his craziest days I am still so thankful that God has entrusted me with 2 amazing beautiful children that are here on earth with me and one in heaven with himself watching over us and making sure that we are always taken care of.

I am also thankful to my loving supporting husband. We have been together since our junior year of high school, yes ladies and gentleman even in today's day and age couples DO stay together through thick and thin. We have now been together for 12 years, married for 8. I am thankful that he is always there for me to support whatever crazy decisions I am choosing that day. He may not understand what the passion is that's drives me to do the diabetes education and advocacy stuff but he still supports me every step of the way. He helps with raising our amazing children, he works hard to provide financially for our family, he tries his very best every day to make me the happiest woman on the earth and he never wants to see me hurting. We have had our great times and we have had our bad times but no matter what we always stick by each other and work through it. He is my other half, he is my soul mate, and I am so very thankful for him being in my life and the best father to our 2 kids.

Last but not least and you may think this is not something to be thankful for but I am .... I am thankful for the diabetes diagnosis that we received. Now don't get me wrong I am NOT wishing this diagnosis on ANYONE and especially not my daughter BUT if it was in our cards to live with this disease like it obviously was I am thankful for it. Now you may ask why ... Why are you thankful for a diabetes diagnosis? Well I am thankful because I meet other families who are also affected, I get to help support them on this unending journey, I get to educate the uneducated, I have found my personal passion, what I eventually want to do with the rest of my life, I want to change the world one uneducated person at a time, one family at a time by supporting them and being there in all their needs, by learning as much as I personally can, and by just being there to be an ear to listen to and a shoulder to cry on if needed. Diabetes has made me me ... It has helped mold me as a mother, daycare provider, and friend. Diabetes has made me appreciate my children even more .... Diabetes has made me thankful that we live in a day in age where Aly can test her blood sugars at home and not only at a Drs. office, that there is life saving insulin available, that there are so many technical advances that diabetes is only a minor inconvenience and not a death sentence. I am thankful for diabetes because I can help and make a difference. 


Sunday, November 4, 2012

What's in there?



This month I will be posting as part of National Health Blog Post Month. I will be posting for 30 days about different topics in regards to parenting a Type 1 Diabetic and Social Media.

Today's topic is "Write about what is in your purse every day"

As many of you know I am the mother to 2 amazing children, Aly who is 8 and has Type 1 Diabetes and Joel who is almost 3, so my purse is very interesting :) 

If you were to peek in to my purse right now you would wonder if this was the purse to a 28 year old lady or a diaper bag/diabetes bag. Well that is pretty much what my Red Beijo bad is. I don't have much of anything adult that goes into my purse except debit card and my license. 

My purse hold many items for my toddler son such as wipes, pull-ups, sippy cup, and snacks.

My purse also holds many items needed for diabetes management such as extra Contact D infusion sites (just in case Alys site goes bad), Blood glucose meter and extra test strips, Quicksticks (used to raise Alys blood glucose in case of a low), alcohol wipes, extra batteries (in case Alys battery dies on her insulin pump), and a bottle of water (in case she is high and needs to try to flush ketones). 

I am sure that some day in you know um ....... in 10 years I MAY get my purse back to being not a diabetes bag but for now that is what is in my purse all day, every day, 365 days a year.




Friday, November 2, 2012

Manuals don't always work


This month I will be posting as part of National Health Blog Post Month. I will be posting for 30 days about different topics in regards to parenting a Type 1 Diabetic and Social Media.

Today's topic is "Find a quote and use it as inspiration"

The quote that I found while trolling the Internet for some inspiration comes from Bill Cosby and it goes like this "In spite of the six thousand manuals on child raising in the bookstores, child raising is still a dark continent and no one really knows anything. You just need a lot of love and luck - and, of course, courage." -- Bill Cosby

Raising a child is hard enough as it is but raising a child with Type 1 Diabetes is even more challenging. There are hundreds on books about there from very amazing people associated with Diabetes be it they have it themselves, they have a child with it, a family member, or a friend but it still comes down to no matter how many books you read or how many times you read that book raising a child with Type 1 diabetes You just need a lot of love and luck - and, of course, courage and hope.

What works for one person or family may not work for you and your family but you need to know what your child/family need are and hope that the moons are aligning good that day and that diabetes plays nicely.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

I don't know


This month I will be posting as part of National Health Blog Post Month. I will be posting for 30 days about different topics in regards to parenting a Type 1 Diabetic and Social Media.


Today's topic is “I don't know about this, but I would like to".

The one thing that I don't really know about when it comes to Diabetes Management but I would like to is all the regulatory information in regards to the insulins, CGMs, pumps, and everything else that goes along with items that have to go through FDA approval and the business side of these items.

Every person has their strengths and weaknesses and this area is not my forte. I do plan on trying to learn more and hope to become more knowledgable.