Its Day 3 of Diabetes Blog Week and today’s prompt asks us to revisit our most memorable diabetes day. I really had to think about this one. The most obvious, and seared in my brain diabetes day is of course the day my son was diagnosed but I havewritten about that one on numerous times. I then thought of the day that I found out that I had one my battle and the Disability Tax Credit was legislatively changed to be fairly applied to all people living with diabetes. Once again, I had written about that one too. (Actually I chronicled it while it was going on) .
That left me to come up with another diabetes memory of significance to me. I then remembered a picture that I had seen on my mom’s Facebook wall. It was of me and my children on the evening that I won the Jeff Hitchcock Award at the Friends for Life Conference. That was pretty darn memorable and incredibly surreal. It was definitely worth reliving….
It was 2007 and I had been invited to attend the upcoming Friends for Life Conference in Orlando. I was beyond excited. Not only was I going to get to take my children to Disneyland after a particularly trying year but I was going to get to spend time with my amazing online family! I am not sure who was more excited.
As we checked into the hotel, we were surrounded by people we knew who quickly showed us the ropes. I needed an extra key for my oldest son because he would be hanging out with other kids and coming and going at different times. The rest of our time was a blurr. It went quickly as I attended sessions and dealt with a pump failure but as anyone can tell you, there is no better place on earth for a pump to fail than a CWD FFL conference! Within less than an hour, we had a loaner pump on my son and a new one being delivered to the registration desk the next day.
I enjoyed time with friends, a drink by the pond, watching the alligators and simply being with people who understood my life. I was talking to the best diabetes experts in the world. There were researchers, doctors, nurses, and parents who had been there (and were still there). Nothing could be better—or so I thought!
The evening of the banquet arrived and my children and I sat with another family that I knew from the parents email list. Speeches were made. Awards were handed out and then they mentioned something called the Jeff Hitchcock award. For those who don’t know, Jeff is the founder of the children with diabetes website, a father, husband, and all round amazing person. This award was first given to him and is now given to people who have done outstanding work in the diabetes world. Recipients include people like lawyer Michelle Rago, Tom Karlya the Diabetes Dad, Joe Solowiejczyk, Audrey Greenfield, Dr. David Harlan and the list goes on!
Imagine my surprise on that July evening, when it was announced that the 2007 winnerwas me! I was not a world traveller. I was not the face of diabetes. I was just a mom who would now forever be in the company of some of the most amazing people the diabetes community is privileged to have. I was stunned and honoured.
As I left the banquet hall, people were congratulating me. Some where strangers, many were people whose work I had admired for years. I was in a cloud. I was in the best place on earth, with the most incredibly family ever and I had just received one of the highest honours I could ever receive. That was definitely a very, very memorable moment in our life with diabetes.
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