Tuesday, January 29, 2013

JDRF Reach and Teach U Omaha

This past weekend my best friend and I journeyed out to Omaha, NE for the JDRF Omaha Chapter Reach and Teach U event. If you are unaware of what this event is, it is a learning experience for families of children with T1D to go to some "classes" about specific issues that they may want to know more information on.

At this event they started with a opening speaker by the name of  Joe Solowiejczyk, Joe is a healthcare professional who has lived with Type 1 diabetes for over 40 years, he was an amazing motivational speaker. He really hit home on a lot of points, like scheduling diabetes depression days every once in a while where you (if you have T1D) or your child (if they have T1D) can have a pity party and just feel bad for themselves that they have to deal with this crummy disease .... yes it probably "could be worse" but for them right now this is the worst, and my favorite thing from his opening speech was when he said to have some fun with diabetes and to run over a old blood sugar meter or smash it to pieces with a hammer. I liked this idea because diabetes is such a strenuous disease where you are "on deck" 24/7/365 and so every once in a while it is good to have a little fun and "stick it" to diabetes.You can watch one families take on this practice here on the Your Diabetes May Vary blog

For the 1st session that we attended was "Back to School Basics", this session focused on IEP, IDEA, and 504 plans. This session gave great resources for parents to use like the ADA State Laws that will help protect their child in the school setting.

The 2nd session that we attended was "Navigating Diabetes", this session briefly touched on transitioning your child from "family diabetes care" to "personal diabetes care" but focused mainly on the online resources that parents, teens, and children can use to get more knowledge or be able to speak with others dealing with the diagnosis of T1D. Some of the resources that were presented were

JDRF - JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Driven by passionate, grassroots volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is now the largest charitable supporter of T1D research. The goal of JDRF research is to improve the lives of all people affected by T1D by accelerating progress on the most promising opportunities for curing, better treating, and preventing T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners who share this goal.

JDRF Kids Online - JDRF Kids Online is intended for use by children ages 8 and up without adult assistance. But all children, including those under age 8, will greatly benefit from sharing this online experience with adults.

Type One Nation - TypeOneNation is a vibrant social network created especially for and by people with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones

American Diabetes Association - We lead the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fight for those affected—by diabetes.

Children With Diabetes - The mission of Children with Diabetes, Inc. is to promote understanding of the care and treatment of diabetes, especially in children; to increase awareness of the need for unrestricted diabetes care for children at school and daycare; to support families living with diabetes; and to promote understanding of research into a cure.

National Diabetes Education Program - Established in 1997, the National Diabetes Education Program is a federally-funded program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and includes over 200 partners at the federal, state and local levels, working together to improve the treatment and outcomes for people with diabetes, promote early diagnosis, and prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Behavioral Diabetes Institute - The Behavioral Diabetes Institute (BDI), with its team of dedicated professionals, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to helping people with diabetes live long, healthy and happy lives.

Disney Family - This website is a collaboration between Disney and Eli Lilly that has resourceful information for parents and children alike

dLife - dLife was established to address the overwhelming consumer need for real, practical solutions to the 24/7 challenge of managing diabetes vs. episodic clinical treatment.

TuDiabetes - A community of people touched by diabetes, a program of the Diabetes Hands Foundation

1 Sweet Life - Provide hope and inspiration to improve the lives of people affected by diabetes.

Parenting Diabetes Kids - Come join us as we support one another in our battle against type 1 diabetes!

Taking Control of Your Diabetes - Guided by the belief that every person with diabetes has the right to live a healthy, happy, and productive life, Taking Control of Your Diabetes educates and motivates people with diabetes to take a more active role in their condition and provides innovative and integrative continuing diabetes education to medical professionals caring for people with diabetes.

Insulindependence  - Insulindependence inspires people with diabetes to set personal fitness goals, educate them on adaptive management techniques through hands on experience, and equips them to explore their individual capacities

Safe Sittings - SAFESITTINGS is a nationwide website that makes available teens with Type 1 diabetes as babysitters for children with diabetes. These teens have been managing their own care for many years. They understand the dangerous highs ands lows inherent in the disease and have the skills to test blood sugars, give insulin injections, adjust insulin pumps and treat hypoglycemia.

This list of resources is no where near all the resources that are out there on the internet but there were the ones that were supplied in this specific training class.

During the last portion of this event the Closing Speaker Tricia Jensen, RN, CDE, CPT spoke on  Diabetes won't hold me back. Tricia is an RN in Nebraska who has lived with T1D since she was 1 year of age, a current Omnipod user, and an athlete. She has gone skydiving, participated in triathalons, the Warrior Run, and several other 5k runs. She never lets diabetes stop her from doing and achieving what ever she wants to do. She says it does take extra planning to be able to do most of these events but she is able to do them and has a blast.

In conclusion this was a very good informative event. I look forward to attending a few more of these event though out the year at different JDRF chapters.

**** This weekend Aly and I will be attending the JDRF Kansas City Chapter Family Connections Retreat, so look forward to a recap :) ****

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