Monday, March 25, 2013
CHECK DON'T GUESS!
We need to get all pediatricians, ER Doctors,
and Urgent Care staff to ALWAYS CHECK BLOOD SUGAR when a child is
showing the classic signs of T1D. DKA can come on suddenly and have
deadly results when T1d is not diagnosed properly. A blood sugar check
that would take less than 1 minute and cost under $2 could SAVE a
child's life. We aren't talking scrapes and bruises here ... We are
talking LIFE and Death! Please help educate and make sure that your
pediatrician knows to always CHECK .. DON'T GUESS!!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Thankless, endless, and exhausting
Thankless, endless, overwhelming, and exhausting. When you hear these words, what comes to mind? Anyone think: Being the parent of a Type 1 Diabetic? If so, you are not alone. You are being genuine and real. I think so many parents are afraid to be honest, afraid that if they go down that road, it signals that they are horrible and unworthy-- somehow broken, unloving and undeserving. Believe me, you are none of those things. You are tired. Everyone knows that amidst those moments of frustration, you celebrate amazingly tender, loving, joyful and rewarding moments. Wrap it all up and that's parenthood. Don't let those dark moments define you. Smile and know that around the corner there will be joy and that joy is unmatched. You are living the dream!
St. Patty's Day Parade
Hope for Aly participated in our 1st Lee's Summit Emerald Isle Parade on Saturday 3/16. We had about 10 people out at the parade and we handed out flyers with T1D symptoms, candy, shirts, and necklaces. We reached over 400 people with T1D information and many more with our other goodies.
We look forward to participating again in the 2014 Parade and making our float even bigger and better.
If you would like to sponsor our float for 2014 please contact me at hopeforaly@gmail.com
We look forward to participating again in the 2014 Parade and making our float even bigger and better.
If you would like to sponsor our float for 2014 please contact me at hopeforaly@gmail.com
Thursday, March 14, 2013
I have a dream
Some people dream for lots of money, expensive cars, vacation homes, ..... I dream about educating more people about T1D and finding a cure. My goal .... Someday have a large amount of people affected by T1D converge at the NYC Thanksgiving day parade, have a float and hit the masses with T1D info ... And someday have walks when everyone is CURED.
One can dream right :)
One can dream right :)
Monday, March 11, 2013
So it begins
Aly and I were talking the other day after watching Mike Lawson and Ginger Vieira on their YouTube Vlogs and Aly came to me and asked if she could start a Vlog, I said sure why not ... Well today she taped her 1st episode of "The Aly Show". You can watch it online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGq2ZYlxVsE
We will have more episodes soon and will cover all things T1D related. If you would like to submit questions you can email them to hopefpraly@gmail.com
We will see you soon :)
We will have more episodes soon and will cover all things T1D related. If you would like to submit questions you can email them to hopefpraly@gmail.com
We will see you soon :)
Saturday, March 9, 2013
D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S
D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S
D..oing all that I can humanly do to give my child a normal happy life.
I..nspiring others in the same situation to stay positive and move forward.
A..ccepting the fact that d is part of our life and we have to make the best of it.
B..eing a supportive role model to all my other d-moms and special friends.
E..ntertaining ideas of hope and cure always.
T..olerating the negative effects that d brings along with it
E..nticing others to help us raise funding for research
S..upporting my daughter in all current/future decisions
Friday, March 8, 2013
Advice for Parents
When you learned that your child has diabetes, you may have
experienced disbelief, grief, and guilt. Maybe you asked, "Why did this
happen to my child?" Maybe you cried out, "It's not fair! " You must
come to grips with these feelings so that you can learn the tasks and
techniques of diabetes control. Your whole family needs to make
adjustments to your child's condition. How you deal with and accept
diabetes affects the way your child deals with and accept diabetes. The
more you know about diabetes, the better equipped you are to help your
child.
As a parent, you are naturally anxious, but it's up to you to help your child accept his or her diabetes with a minimum of stress. The American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Hands Foundation, Hope for Aly, and JDRF can be of great help. Other parents who have faced the same problem and learned to cope with it are more than willing to share ideas and advice. You must learn to protect without dominating, to supervise while encouraging self-care. Work with your child for the best control, but remember that "ideal" control isn't always possible.
Your role as the parent of a child with diabetes will change as your child grows. Every child is different, of course, but there are some general guidelines you can follow at each stage. And there are some things you can keep in mind no matter what your child's age: Accept your child. Love, teach, guide, and discipline just as you would if diabetes were not a factor. Do not overprotect or overindulge. Accept your child's diabetes without guilt. Learning all you can about diabetes will help you overcome your fears and anxieties. And remember, you cannot control your child's diabetes by over controlling your child.
Your child's self image and self esteem are threatened by diabetes. Be understanding and supportive. Try to avoid unnecessary anxiety about "cheating." You don't want to cause guilt feelings, or make your child think he or she is "bad." Children who think are bad may act accordingly. Help your child plan ahead. No child can should be expected to assume complete responsibility for diabetes control at too early an age. But, ultimately, responsibility for eating properly, injecting insulin, testing blood sugar, and planning exercise will be the child's. Maturity, independence, self control, and self esteem will grow as your child learns self-care.
A child with diabetes is a child first, and a person with diabetes second. Like all children, yours needs to grow physically, socially, and emotionally. Alert parents who are relaxed, knowledgeable, tolerant, and accepting help in the growing process. Feelings of guilt and resentment lead to problems between spouses and between parents and children. Your child's diabetes is a challenge your whole family must face together. It is not a punishment for anything any of you did
We as parents have our own pitfalls that we need to work on, some of those may be but are not limited to:
An overanxious parent creates an overanxious child who is overdependent. By doing everything for your child, you deny him or her the self-control and self-confidence necessary for an independent life.
An overindulgent parent feels dietary restrictions and daily injections are too much for a child to handle. He or she offers special treats while providing little discipline. Children of overindulgent parents may grow up under the impression that they are incompetent -- incapable of coping with their own problems -- which reinforces feelings of inadequacy.
A perfectionist parent may achieve good diabetes management in early childhood through discipline, but there are risks. The child may feel guilty about poor blood sugar test results, and may even alter a result to obtain parental approval. During adolescence, children of perfectionist parents may rebel -- against both their parents and their diabetes care programs.
An indifferent parent may force his or her child to seek attention through rebellion, by "cheating" on the diet, or by skipping insulin injections. Children of indifferent parents may become depressed because of the lack of discipline, support, and supervision in their lives. They also have a higher frequency of hospitalization.
If you ever feel overwhelmed or need people to talk to the Diabetes Online Community is amazing and they are there to help you with what I mentioned above and so much more.
As a parent, you are naturally anxious, but it's up to you to help your child accept his or her diabetes with a minimum of stress. The American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Hands Foundation, Hope for Aly, and JDRF can be of great help. Other parents who have faced the same problem and learned to cope with it are more than willing to share ideas and advice. You must learn to protect without dominating, to supervise while encouraging self-care. Work with your child for the best control, but remember that "ideal" control isn't always possible.
Your role as the parent of a child with diabetes will change as your child grows. Every child is different, of course, but there are some general guidelines you can follow at each stage. And there are some things you can keep in mind no matter what your child's age: Accept your child. Love, teach, guide, and discipline just as you would if diabetes were not a factor. Do not overprotect or overindulge. Accept your child's diabetes without guilt. Learning all you can about diabetes will help you overcome your fears and anxieties. And remember, you cannot control your child's diabetes by over controlling your child.
Your child's self image and self esteem are threatened by diabetes. Be understanding and supportive. Try to avoid unnecessary anxiety about "cheating." You don't want to cause guilt feelings, or make your child think he or she is "bad." Children who think are bad may act accordingly. Help your child plan ahead. No child can should be expected to assume complete responsibility for diabetes control at too early an age. But, ultimately, responsibility for eating properly, injecting insulin, testing blood sugar, and planning exercise will be the child's. Maturity, independence, self control, and self esteem will grow as your child learns self-care.
A child with diabetes is a child first, and a person with diabetes second. Like all children, yours needs to grow physically, socially, and emotionally. Alert parents who are relaxed, knowledgeable, tolerant, and accepting help in the growing process. Feelings of guilt and resentment lead to problems between spouses and between parents and children. Your child's diabetes is a challenge your whole family must face together. It is not a punishment for anything any of you did
We as parents have our own pitfalls that we need to work on, some of those may be but are not limited to:
An overanxious parent creates an overanxious child who is overdependent. By doing everything for your child, you deny him or her the self-control and self-confidence necessary for an independent life.
An overindulgent parent feels dietary restrictions and daily injections are too much for a child to handle. He or she offers special treats while providing little discipline. Children of overindulgent parents may grow up under the impression that they are incompetent -- incapable of coping with their own problems -- which reinforces feelings of inadequacy.
A perfectionist parent may achieve good diabetes management in early childhood through discipline, but there are risks. The child may feel guilty about poor blood sugar test results, and may even alter a result to obtain parental approval. During adolescence, children of perfectionist parents may rebel -- against both their parents and their diabetes care programs.
An indifferent parent may force his or her child to seek attention through rebellion, by "cheating" on the diet, or by skipping insulin injections. Children of indifferent parents may become depressed because of the lack of discipline, support, and supervision in their lives. They also have a higher frequency of hospitalization.
If you ever feel overwhelmed or need people to talk to the Diabetes Online Community is amazing and they are there to help you with what I mentioned above and so much more.
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