And the winners are.....

Today is the big day!!!

First let me thank Corinne who has worked with my on behalf of AccuCheck.  She was very patient as she answered emails and tried to keep in contact with me at a very difficult time in my personal life.  She waited for me to return from family obligations only to have to wait again for me to finish with the Health Activists Writers' Challenge before we could get things on the go. 

Finally we got there however and on May 1st we got this contest off the ground! Three cards were to go to three people to say thank-you.  Now that was a daunting task!  First, as I mentioned was to come up with someone for me to "pay it forward" to thank with a $200 donation.  As many of you mentioned in your own testimonies of support, it had to go back to Children with Diabetes.  They have a Scholars Foundation that helps out with both university scholarships and getting families to conferences.  I sent the first $200 Visa card to Mary Podjasek on Friday!

There were a lot of little ballots to cut and draw from!

The second card asked for reader participation.  I wanted to hear from you, the readers. I wanted to see you share what we said, comment, and get the word out about Diabetes Advocacy. Wow!!! Did you ever! Some of you truly took the bull by the horns and my archaic system of watching and counting posts took up a large amount of time each day....and I LOVED it!!! I placed all of your names on a spread sheet  and noted how many times we heard from you from May 1 until the 6th (one ballot for every time you mentioned us or joined a conversation).  Your names were then transferred to a second sheet of ballots.  Those ballots were be drawn from and the winner is.......Jen Salzman!!

I had Larry draw the winner to guarentee impartiality.

The third card asked you who had supported you. There were some great responses.  I told you that my son would be judging.  I reminded him of this today and told him some of the responses that we had. I also told him about the person who wanted to write an essay entitled "How Liam changed my life".  He thought that one was a sure winner and was ready to hand her the money without a second thought! Unfortunately only the title was submitted and I reminded him that we could not operate our first contest with such obvious overtones of bribery so he had to look at the rest of the submissions and decide. 

Personally I was touched by the submissions.  More than one of you stated how much I had helped you through.  You honor me and I am so proud to call so many of you friends.   I have enjoyed conversations, meals and glasses of wine with many of you and look forward to many more!

Needless to say, making a final decision was difficult but the winner of the third gift card is the person who wrote....
 I've been thinking a ton about this since you asked the community to share. My first thought is all the folks who were such an incredible, tremendous support to us when my daughter transitioned from shots to her pump, in 2004. Yup, we are coming up 10 years of D very soon. You were there, ♥ Barb ♥, as were a ton of people from the online d community, especially the CWD parent list. Our Cozmo pump rep was also a super supportive person as was our pharmacist and our infusion set rep. The staff at CWD who run the best d conferences bar none, have been a great resource. But I think the most supportive person is actually my "d" kid - my most awesome daughter, Kate. She is my rock and my inspiration. As we all do, over the years, we have had terrible "d" days and nights, and then miraculous days where "d" was simply a shadow, wwwaaaaayyyyy in the background (those are the best, yes?) But no matter what the day, what the issue, she is there, doing what she needs to do, and...doing it exceptionally well and with little fan fair. She may not be the most public person about her "D-ness" but she is quietly the person who will be the first person to lend a hand and a word of encouragement to her peers. She accepts it all with grace and courage. When I feel *my* grace has slipped, and my courage is rattled, there she is, telling me "its okay Mom, I got this."
 Kelli Doyle!

Thank you again to everyone who participated. I would love to have been able to give a card to each one of you as you have all enriched our lives for being apart of our little corner of the Diabetes Online Community.

Thank you again....And congratulations!!!

Kelli and Jen, please contact me privately with your mailing address (within the next 72 hours) so that I can get these cards out into the mail to you.

WARNING: When the Fear takes hold

For some reason lately my internal alarm clock is off. I have been waking at 5am.  That is about two hours after the latest time that I would normally wake up. I am not sure what is going on. The first day it happened, I panicked.  The second day it happened, I panicked and then remembered that it was a weekend and the last test would have been done by son less than four hours ago.  The third day was today and I will have to fix this trend fast!

When I woke this morning, I found my son's bg level was the dreaded 5 (90).  You know? That perfect number that you don't know which way it will go and you quickly drive yourself insane wondering? Normally I would have stayed awake for a bit to retest, check and see what was going on. Today I was tired. I was worn out and I literally prayed for the best as I headed back to bed.

I woke up a few hours later with the intention of checking to see where his bg levels were but I fell back to sleep. When I finally woke up again, I lay there heavily buried in guilt.  The what ifs began....

What if he did drop lower while I selfishly slept?
What if he seized while I dreamed  peaceful walks?
What if he didn't wake up when I went to check on him?
What if he had brain damage?
What if my sweet, quirky young son was hurt because of my selfish desire to rest a little longer?
This would ruin my oldest son's graduation celebrations in a few weeks.
I would never celebrate a birthday again because I had done this. It would be all my fault.

Plagued by all of the horrific sceneiros racing through my mind, I quickly headed across to his room.  As I entered, he stretched and yawned. He held out his hand for me to test but pretended to remain asleep. I lanced. Not enough blood. I lanced again. I squeezed. I waited. He was 6.5 (115ish).  He was fine. There was no coma, no brain damage--just a perfectly fine teen desperate to sleep until his mother peels his body off of his mattress.

I took a cleansing breath and headed off to the couch to sit and regroup for a bit.  This disease can drive you crazy. I thought I was doing well at living in the now.  Not letting it freak me out very often any more. I thought I was rolling with the punches pretty well. I guess we all have our days.  Today was mine. Tomorrow will be better.

Mental Health Impacts all of Us

I was recently reminded that May is Mental Health month.  My first thought was, did they chose May because it was the month that I was born in and I may have driven far too many people over the edge? Is it in reflection of my own, sometimes questionable mental health?

Actually, the last part, while written tongue in cheek, has some merit.   As you may remember, I wrote about my own struggles with depression in Confessions of a D-Momma a few months ago.  Depression and mental health are far from a laughing matter. The year 2012 has personally pushed my mental health to its limits, has left me much more focused on learning new coping strategies and has reminded me to work to keep my mind as healthy as the rest of my body.

For some reason, 2012 has been a year filled with personal loss. I have had two close family members die. I have a lost a dear old friend and literally many, many more people that have touched my life. I have also been horrified to see the role that mental illness played in over half of these deaths.  The toll on the families is incredible.  The sense of loss and helplessness of those of us left behind can feel overwhelming.

Life can be difficult at the worst of time. People with diabetes, and their caregivers have an added burden.  We worry about "numbers" on a regular basis.  Is there enough insulin units given? What is the blood glucose level? What is your cholesterol level? What is your A1c? How many grams of carbs is in that food? How many hours has it been since the last test? How many days since a site change? How many hours since a correction dose was given? The list goes on.

The wear and tear on our psyche grows.  As a mother, I woke with a start and a few choice words this morning. I had somehow slept five straight hours! What was wrong with me? Was my son okay? Had I missed a low? Was he high? Was he alive? These are all of the things that go through my head. The "guilt" of sleeping too much, forgetting to remind about a bolus or a site change, or the results of a poor A1c can be a heavy burden to bear. I can only imagine it being worse for a teen or adult living with diabetes. 

I can't address the issues of a person with diabetes.  I can only speak as a mom who also wonders if I have I given my non-D son enough? Does he realize that he is just as important? Have I been there for him in every way possible? Does he know how much I love him? Yes I tell him.  Yes I do my very best, but is it enough.

All of these things continue to pile up.  Our mental health is tested to the extreme.  For many the test is too much and professional help is required.  Is this a sign or weakness? Absolutely NOT! I have always told people struggling with these issues one thing...would you deny someone you love insulin to keep them alive? No? Then why would you deny yourself the medication that you require to help your brain keep things on track.--Its a lesson I occasionally have had to remind myself as well.  

The stigma surrounding mental illness needs to be lifted.  Our brain, our mental health issues are as real as diabetes or cancer.  We do not say that someone needs to suck it up and get on with it when they are facing chemotherapy. We do not say that they are weak when they rely on insulin to keep them alive and healthy. We must learn to offer the same acceptance and support to those suffering from other invisible ailments.

So this May, take a minute and think about mental illness. Do you know someone who needs help? Do you need help yourself? Please don't brush it off. Ignoring mental illness is no different than ignoring any other deadly disease. It does not make it go away. It just allows it to grow, fester and become more dangerous than ever.

Who knew I could do it!?!

I am sure the person most shocked by the fact that I actually completed all 30 posts on time is me.  I am of course a few days behind on their final wrap up but that doesn't count, right?? We had money to give away and a few great stories that were begging to be told NOW!

Despite being a 30 day challenge, The WEGO Health people did ask for a May 1st recap that I will do today....

What was your favorite prompt?  I think my favorite was one that made me go "what the heck? I have never thought about this before. I have NO clue how to answer this."  The prompt? Who are the five people you would love to have dinner with.  

For me this was a huge challenge because I am not a person into heroes. I do not have a bucket list. I meet people that amaze me.  I am blessed to know people that inspire me but to come up with specific people (dead or alive) to sit and chat with? That was just beyond the realm of my imagination. I did it however. Each person took thought and reflected a different aspect of me.  I needed my friend Kim because she is so thoughtful, reflective and amazing. I knew (and later told her) that we would do fabulously keeping conversations going by spelling off one another.  Betty Fox was one of the most amazing mom of a child with a life-threatening health issue.  Fredrick Banting? Well his genius has kept my son alive for over 12 years.  The Cozmo pump wasn't a person but it is so important in our lives that we have not had a meal without it in at least seven years.  Finally Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was someone that I wanted to pick their brain.  He had moved people. He had created change. I try to do that in various ways. I hoped that he would provide me with further insight.  

The most difficult? Well it was difficult and it made absolutely no sense to me...The Health Madlib Poem was completely beyond me. I truly did not understand it from start to finish.

Which prompts will I use again? I can't really say.  As most may realize, my blogs tend to be driven by what is going on in my own four walls as well as things that hit me from the outside.  There are prompts that were similar to posts I have written in the past and perhaps I will revisit a few concepts one day in the future but for now...well its back to our regular scheduled programming until Diabetes Blog Week later this month!
 

Mom, You realized that I saved my own life!

My son is supposed to be in swimming lessons through school.  Week one he hadn't registered properly and he wanted to study for a math exam so he didn't swim.  Week two he was high and he claimed that I told him that when he was that high it was dangerous for him to swim so he sat on the sidelines and studied his math once again.

We were now on week three. I had been in contact with his homeroom teacher because she was concerned about the time he was missing at the pool.  We were both certain that this day he would be in the water!

Breakfast was bolused so he would not be high at the pool. His swim gear was in his bag.  An extra site was packed just in case. We were good to go! Until the text message came in..."I will weird i think im droping or something". 

Panic quickly began to set in.  My son is fanatical about his spelling when he sends a text message. Most people use all sorts of short hand and he is no different to a point. He likes his words to be spelt properly if he is typing them out.  "Will" instead of "feel" put me on edge.  I called him asked him what was going on.  He told me that he was in range but he knew that he was dropping. I suggested that he take glucose for the impending low, disconnect and hop in the pool.  He would be fine but double check half way through the lesson.

When he came home that afternoon I asked him how things went.

"Well basically I saved my own life! You see, I was 8 (145) when I tested but I knew I was dropping.  I ate the glucose like you said but I didn't go into the pool.  I sat on the side and talked diabetes to my old science teacher.  Remember, her husband has Type 1? Well we chatted about him being really high at sea one time and having to be airlifted to the hospital.  After a bit I retested and after doing nothing and eating glucose tablets, guess what happened? I was lower still! I was down to 5 (90).  Can you imagine what would have happened if I had been swimming? I would have dropped like a rock! It would have been have been horrible. I could have died in the pool!"

What could I say? He was a little dramatic but I agreed that he had done the right thing.  I keep praying that one day he might actually use the lessons that I have been paying for.  Diabetes does not seem to want him to swim...and funny but my son for once is happy to agree with it!

Don't forget about our "Share and Win" contest! Share our blog posts, share your stories of support, and more to win one of two $200 Visa gift cards from AccuChek!
And don't forget to sponsor Karyn and Team One's Climb for a cure!

Climbing for a Cure!

Last fall I received an email from a friend who works for one of the major pump companies.  He said, "Barb, we have this great new rep who will be working in your province. I would love for you two to get together. I am sure that you can give her a lot of insight and better still, you will really like her.  She's a great person!".  I am always up to meeting new people, especially when it comes to life with diabetes so after a few emails a lunch date was set and I met a new friend by the name of Karyn O'Rielly. 

I immediately knew that she would be a great asset to a company that has always had the best people working for them.  Her background solidified her commitment to a disease that we all love to hate--Type 1 diabetes.  Karyn told me that she was "from St. Brendan's Island, Bonavista Bay and I have been living with Type 1 diabetes since January 1995.  I was 13 years old when I was diagnosed. Diabetes has always been a big part of my life as I am one of six people in my family diagnosed with the disease including my dad, sister and three first cousins."  Its not surprising then that Karyn went on to graduate from Memorial University with a Bachelors of Nursing Degree where she worked in ICU before joining the Animas team last August.


Since that lunch date, Karyn and I have stayed in touch through emails and such.  A little over a month ago we sat down to lunch once again.  This time she had news that completely amazed me.  She told me that she was going to hike Mount Kilimanjaro!  I can't hike Signal Hill but here she was, a young woman with diabetes and she was going to climb a major mountain!

Karyn said, "I have learned over the years that diabetes is a journey that requires great strength and persistence in order to succeed!  My newest adventure and challenge is to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.  On June 14th, 2012 I will be heading off with the JDRF's Team One to complete the nine day trek.  Team One consists of people of all ages living with Type 1 Diabetes." 

This group of people will have a support team as they work together to reach new heights in an effort to raise public awareness of diabetes and to change the perceptions of what people with Type 1 diabetes can achieve.  Karyn notes that "this is a way of showing other youth that the challenges and stigma associated with diabetes can be overcome.  On top of dealing with altitude sickness at heights of over 19,000 ft, we are faced with bigger challenges with our diabetes by testing our blood glucose more than 20 times per day and closely monitoring the amounts of insulin injected."

Karyn and her group making up Team One completely amaze me.  The cost of her strip to Mount Kilimanjaro will be covered completely out of her own pocket!  Karyn is looking for donors however--donors to help raise funds for the JDRF and organization dedicated to improving lives and curing Type 1 diabetes.

I would encourage you to go to Karyn's donation page and help her exceed her fundraising goal! I know that everyone wants you to donate something and we only have so money to go around but we have 62 people registered who admit to following my blog.  If they each gave the $10 that they would spend on lunch today, well that would be $620 more money than Karyn had yesterday! There are over 700 people who read this blog through my Facebook page.  If they donated the $5 that they would have spent on their second cup of coffee this morning, then Karyn would have $3500 more than she had yesterday towards this great cause.  Remember, you are not helping to pay for Karyn's summer vacation. Your money is going directly to the JDRF to help them fill their mandate!

Please consider it.  Please go to her sponsor page.  Also SHARE this with others.  Get them to sponsor her as well....it could earn you a few dollars as well as you will be eligible for that $200 Visa Gift Card that I mentioned yesterday! Let's show this amazing young woman just how incredible we think she is and help her far surpass her financial goal as she strives to reach another tremendous personal goal!




Share to Win

As promised for weeks on our Facebook page, today will mark the start of our very first contest! In March, AccuChek began their "We've Got You" Campaign. They wanted to highlight the human element in diabetes management.  We all know that no one is an island.  We get through and are able to move forward in life with the help of others.

AccuChek wants to celebrate this by offering you the chance to win $3500 to show someone how much they matter to you and how much they have helped you. By going to their Facebook page and clicking "like" before midnight (EST) on May 6th, you will be entered to win their grand prize!

That is all well and fine but what about the money that I promised you? Well AccuChek did not stop at just asking me to tell you to go over to their Facebook page and like them because they are such nice folks.  AccuChek wanted to help me to help you to thank even more nice folks! To do this, they offered to give me three $200 Visa gift cards to be given away as I chose! Now how cool is that?  I could create a contest. I could do a draw. I could run off to Mexico...okay I couldn't do the last part but I could come up with creative ways to thank you for reading and being apart of our lives! You have no idea how difficult that was. I am not an overly creative person so my it took some brainstorming with my son to come up with what we/I would do.  

The first card was to be given from me to someone.  It was to be someone who had helped me. Well you have all helped me at various times. Your kind words, the fact that you read what I write, the fact that you rely on my website to provide you with updated information. The fact that you share my stuff with others and recommend that they follow me. It all means a lot to me personally.  How then could I give back to everyone?

I couldn't but I came up with what I thought was the next best thing!  As many of you know, Childrenwithdiabetes.com has been a huge lifeline for me over the years.  They have become family.  I look forward to seeing many of you at their conferences each year.  I therefore decided to share with you through the CWD Scholars Foundation! I have been in contact with the amazing Mary Podjasek who is the President of the foundation and will be sending her $200 which will be used to help out a family at the CWD Conference this summer! Besides offering scholarships to students in the US who have diabetes and are going on to post-secondary institutions, Mary and her many, many volunteers also help to make sure families who cannot afford all of the cost of CWD conferences can get a part of this amazing family and enjoy the benefits of CWD.

The second card is will be awarded by my youngest son--remember he was helping me create the "contest".  He decided that he wanted to read your stories. He wants to know who has been your biggest source of support and what would you do with them to spend this $200?  What do they need? What would show them how much they mean to you? Post your story here, under this blog post (please do not respond anonymously or if you do, ensure that your email address is included in the comment).  The contest closes at midnight (EST) on the 6th of May and he will be judging on the 7th.  The winner will be announced by the 8th.  You will then have 72 hours to contact me with your mailing address for me to send you the card or a new person will be chosen.

This leaves one last chance to win $200 from Visa.  This will be a random drawing.  Anyone who comments on a blog post between today and the 6th, shares a blog post or becomes a new follower of this blog page will be entered to win.  Anyone who comments on the Facebook page, shares something posted there or "likes" us between today and the 6th will be entered to win.  Anyone who submits a tattoo to our tattoo gallery for display between May 1-6th. Finally, anyone who follows us on Twitter (@diabetesgoddess), retweets or tweets a mention about us (@diabetesgoddess), the blog, the website, our Facebook page, a post or this contest, will also be entered.  You can be entered more than once.  A winner will be randomly drawn on the 7th of May.  As with the winner of the second card, you must respond to me with your mailing address within 72 hours or another name will be drawn.

A final note, unfortunately this contest is only open to Canadian readers. I know that sounds so unfair but I did not make up the rules.  This giveaway is funded by AccuChek Canada and thus only open to Canadians. Sorry! Perhaps someone will sponsor another giveaway one day that we can share with even more of you! All entries must be in by midnight (EST) on May 6, 2012. Winners will be announced by the 8th of May and remember that you must provide me with a mailing address to get your cards to you within 72 hours of me emailing you to tell you that you have won or your card will be given to another person.
In the meantime...Good luck!! Have fun!!! We can't wait to read your stories and most of all.... thank you so much for all of the support you have given us.