More Than Diabetes

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month.  And, while I think it's important to spread awareness about the what the disease is (and for those around Savanna to know how to take care of her if the need arises), I think it's equally important to remember that Savanna is MORE than Diabetes!  We have been so lucky, over the last 3 years, to have family & friends who really understand what T1D is, how to take care of Savanna, are willing to take care of her, and do not exclude her from events, parties, and activities.  They have remembered who she really is, what she loves, and what is important to her.  I know not all children and families get that, but we are forever grateful to all who remember that she is so much more than the disease she was diagnosed with:

Until there is a cure...xoxo

A Bad Day is Allowed...

I feel fortunate that our journey (as I like to think of this ride we’re on) has been pretty easy so far.  I’ve read posts about children who refuse daily to check their blood sugars, sneak food to avoid insulin shots, and have ended up in the hospital because of this  And I am thankful every day that Savanna understands the importance of managing her diabetes…

That’s not to say we don’t have our bad days – we certainly do…and I think because of how great she is most days, I forget that she should be **allowed** to have those days – we all have them, just in different ways.  

We had one of those **bad** days earlier this week – I’ll spare the details, because those are not important.  But, I was frustrated – and angry – and defeated because of the horrible backlash this disease has caused our family.  And then it hit me – if this is how I felt, I can only imagine how SAVANNA felt.  I think I forget – because she IS so wonderful with all she needs to do – just how young she really is and how much is put on her shoulders on a daily basis.  C & I do our best to help alleviate the burden, but the truth of the matter is, the burden is on HER – we can’t take it away or make it stop.  We can HELP, but at the end of the day, those finger pricks, pod changes, lows, highs, and everything that comes with having Diabetes happens to her.  And so, if after countless days of great behavior, if she chooses to have 1 bad day – I’d say we’re pretty lucky.  We have a smart, caring, beautiful child who takes responsibility for her health and her diabetes management as best as she can.  And that to me outweighs all the **bad** days out there!

In honor of National Diabetes Awareness month (November), I created this picture that reminds me just how strong, brave, and wonderful (as if I needed a reminder) Savanna really is!  She truly is my hero in all that she does every day – and most days she does it with a smile on her face, with acceptance to stay healthy, and with determination that she won’t let having diabetes keep her down!

Until there is a cure…xoxo

Type 1 Diabetes vs. Type 2 Diabetes

I belong to a “Parents of Type 1 Diabetes” Facebook page –  it’s a page for parents to get advice and support, or share stories of successes and rough days.  One of the things I have noticed is that many parents have been upset by the recent use of Diabetes as a punchline for jokes on several TV shows – especially with Halloween coming up.  While I have to admit, I did not actually notice those jokes until they were mentioned on the FB page, but I know there was a lot of frustration about how there was no clarification between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes - most of the jokes were about how a person can get "diabetes from sugar".   If you don’t have a T1D child, you probably don’t even notice – but those with T1Ds are very quick to notice the difference.

I know before Savanna was diagnosed, I had no idea what the differences between Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes were.  I assumed they were both the same and that my child would live a life of restricted eating her entire life.  But, I quickly learned there were some big differences.  Taken from multiple sources online, here is a summary of how Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes differ:

Type 1 Diabetes	Type 2 Diabetes
Most with T1D are diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood.	Most with T2D are diagnosed in adulthood, though an increasing number of children are being diagnosed
In people with T1D, the pancreas stops producing insulin (with no known reason) – the body is unable to break down foods to convert to energy and there can be a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream.  Injection shots and/or the insulin pump serve as the body’s pancreas to deliver insulin.	In people with T2D, the body still produces insulin, but may not produce enough to meet the needs of sugar intake.  Pills or insulin shots aid the pancreas by providing the additional insulin needed to breakdown food.
T1D cannot be prevented – there is no known cause for why the pancreas stops producing insulin.	T2D can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle choices – including diet and exercise
T1Ds can eat anything (in moderation, like all of us) – as long as they check their blood sugar and get insulin for what they are eating, all foods are allowed	The best way to manage, prevent, or delay T2D is to maintain a healthy, low carb diet
T1D is treated with insulin injections or the insulin pump and cannot be controlled without taking insulin	T2D is usually treated, to start, without medication (though some T2Ds may require a pill or insulin shots).  It is also sometimes possible for T2D to come off of diabetes medication

  

I’m sure there are other minor differences, but the above were the ones I thought worth pointing out. 

Unless you have a child, spouse, relative, etc. with Type 1 Diabetes, these differences probably don’t even register on your radar – and why should they?  But hopefully, with a little bit of education, those without loved ones with Type 1 Diabetes will recognize that there is a difference – in symptoms, in treatment, and way of living with the disease.  

On another note, I received an interesting email from the JDRF today about a significant milestone in Diabetes research. Today, for the first time ever, a person with Type 1 Diabetes was implanted with an experimental encapsulated cell therapy product – you can read the entire article here, but basically this could potentially mean a life of no shots, no sugar highs, lows, finger sticks, and so much more!  As a parent of a T1D, it is very exciting and hopeful that the *cure* we are working towards may very well be so much closer than we thought!

Until there is a cure…xoxo

2014 JDRF One Walk

We just got home from the JDRF One Walk at the Philadelphia Art Museum – it was a beautiful fall day, only to be made better by the love and support we had from the family & friends who came out to walk with us. 

Some interesting facts we learned today at the Walk:

• Over $1 million dollars was raised for the Philadelphia walk
• The first US outpatient artificial pancreas trial has received FDA approval (a post on this and other advances in Diabetes research coming later)
• JDRF funded research has led to advancement in beta cell development – beta cells produce insulin and the ability to produce these beta cells artificially could mean a *cure* for T1D

Overall it was a wonderful day that made Savanna feel special and our hearts happy.  After our 3 mile walk, we decided to walk another 1 ½ miles to the Reading Terminal and spent the rest of the afternoon with friends in the city.

There’s not much I can say – the pictures of family and friends say it all...

Until there's a cure...xoxo

Love & Support for Diabetes

Talk about support!!  Back in September, I started selling our team t-shirts to raise money for the JDRF.  We had people participating in our Walk this year who wanted an opportunity to buy shirts, and since I had to place an order anyway, I thought we would reach out to the community to see if anyone else wanted them.  Well, boy did they!  I had emailed teachers & staff at her school last year (MEC) and her school this year (BEC) to see if anyone was interested in purchasing shirts – the response we got was awesome.  In total, we sold about 30 shirts to friends, teachers & staff from school.  In addition to selling t-shirts, the school also had a “Dress Down for Diabetes” day – teachers & staff were able to wear jeans to school for a donation to the JDRF.

We went into school early yesterday morning to get a group picture of everyone at BEC who were wearing their “Savanna’s Angels” t-shirts.  Here are all the wonderful and amazing teachers, staff, and friends showing their support. There were a few teachers and friends who couldn’t be in the picture, so the number of army green shirts walking around BEC yesterday was actually more than what you see here!!  Talk about feeling LOVED...

 

 

Savanna’s old school, MEC, also had a dress down day earlier this week --  the principal there sent me a wonderful picture of the teachers and staff wearing their jeans & their “Savanna’s Angels” shirts:

 

Her library teacher missed the group picture, but got a “selfie” with Savanna:

Savanna also has a T1D buddy at school who showed his support for finding a cure for T1D by wearing his Savanna’s Angels t-shirt as well!  

There are days and times when you wonder if your child is getting the care they need when they are not with you – if the people she is with will be attentive and understanding to what she is dealing with…after seeing the support yesterday morning, I know for a fact that when she is not with me, Savanna is 100% cared for, supported, and loved by all the teachers and staff at her school! I also know that she has great friends who are open to understanding and learning about Type 1 Diabetes…which couldn’t make a Mom’s heart any happier!

Until there’s a cure…xoxo

Yoga for Diabetes

This past weekend, we held a Yoga for Diabetes fundraiser to raise money for our upcoming JDRF Walk (this Sunday, October 26th).  We had an amazing yoga instructor - Kori (you can check out her blog, The Whole Fit Yogi, here).  Kori was generous enough to donate her time and a portion of the proceeds of 2 yoga classes to benefit Savanna's JDRF Walk Team - "Savanna's Angels" - and the JDRF.

We were touched by how the number of people who came out to support Savanna - we had family, friends, old teachers, friends of friends...all who had an amazing morning of yoga while supporting our T1D!  It was Yoga for a *GREAT* cause -- with continued funding, we hope the JDRF can one day find a CURE for Type 1 Diabetes!

Savanna also made a poster to have on display about Type 1 Diabetes - together we decided how she wanted to share her story,  how to explain Type 1 Diabetes, and how to show what she has to go through every day.  Below is what she wanted to share about her story:

She had some help from Mommy, but I thought she did a great job!

We are looking forward to this upcoming week as well.  The teachers & staff at her school have purchased "Savanna's Angels" t-shirts to wear for a Dress Down for Diabetes day on Thursday.  And then, of course, Sunday is our big walk with family & friends!  We can't wait!

Until then...xoxo

So Much in a Year...

Wow!  I can't believe it's been OVER a year since I last posted...life got in the way - nothing bad...just busy!

I'm happy to say I've rediscovered the blog and am looking forward to keeping you updated on all things - both T1D and family related!

So much has happened since my last post in May - especially in reference to Savanna's Type 1 Diabetes management.  When we last left you, were were starting our journey with the OmniPod - well, I am so happy to say that Savanna has been on the OmniPod for over a year and we LOVE (insert singy-songy voice here) the OmniPod!!  It has given us so much for freedom and flexibility in her Diabetes management.  Most importantly is that Savanna is able to do so much of her care herself!!  C & I obviously still confirm numbers and carbs with her, but the OmniPod does the calculations itself and allows Savanna to give herself her insulin.  There are so many other aspects to how great the OmniPod is and all the things it can do, but just know -- we LOVE it and would recommend it to anyone and everyone who will listen!

Savanna's showing off her Pod - we added temporary tattoos to make them pretty & fun!

I posted sometime at the beginning of last school year how fortunate we are to have been blessed by the "Nurse Gods" (you can read that post here).  This school year, we were again challenged with a change in school nurses - our school district realigned 2 of their elementary schools and we ended up switching schools again.  For the last 2 years, we have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Mrs. S.  She was so attentive, supportive, caring, and loving towards Savanna - by the end of last year, we were so sad to leave her.  We weren't sure what this coming year was going to bring -- but we met Mrs. H at the end of last year and again over the summer.  So far, the year has been great  - we had one incident where Savanna's Pod came off and I needed to go in to replace it, but all the worries of the summer were quickly pushed aside after meeting Mrs. H and knowing again, Savanna was in good hands.  And again -- for the third time in 3 years - the Nurse Gods have smiled on us!

The last *big* milestone from this past year was that Savanna was able to go to an overnight karate camp in August.  Last year, she went for just the one day because we were only a month into her OmniPod and weren't sure how she would do being away from home.  She was bummed to not get the chance to sleepover, so was very happy to hear we were going to let her go this year.  The camp was only 10 minutes from our house - which had a big part in the decision -  but for her to be able to go off on her own was a big deal!  And, we really could not have done it without the amazing staff of teachers at Karate for Kids.  I can't say enough how blessed we are to have them in our lives  - we feel comfortable leaving Savanna in their care...whether for a couple of hours or overnight...we know she is well taken care of.  Savanna did WONDERFULLY while away!  I sent her with a list of foods they would be eating and total carbs for those meals, so all she had to do was check her blood sugar, enter her carbs, and she was good to go - the OmniPod did all the other work for her.  As we were leaving, her head instructor, Mr. M pulled us aside and told us he was proud and impressed with how awesome Savanna did - she checked her blood sugars without being told, took care of all her needs on her own (with supervision), and that she was welcome back anytime.  Overall, the experience was wonderful for all of us -- and one we would not hesitate doing again next year!

Here are just a few more pictures of our last year - these are some of my favorites because they show how Savanna does not let Diabetes stop her at all!

 

That's about it for now!  Hopefully I can write more frequently, so I don't have to cram a year's worth of events into one post!

Thanks for reading...xoxo