Raising a Child with Type One Diabetes Part Three
Step Outside the Box
An Exert from the Upcoming Book; 585, The Number That Changed Our Lives
In the first excerpt "Coping with the Diagnosis" from the Upcoming book "585, The Number That Changed Our Lives" I shared one of the few tips offered in the book that can be used to help parents process the diagnosis. Then in part two's excerpt I went a different direction, backed up a bit and started from the beginning by sharing an excerpt from one of the "Introduction Essays" that discusses the start of it all; "Worry: Four Days of Sleep". This last excerpt is from part 2 of the book titled: "A Little Bit of Encouragement " which highlights my time spent blogging about my experience of raising a type 1 diabetic. This particular excerpt is from the vlog I posted at that time. The book has the transcript to that vlog, but I have included a portion of the full video in this article. Hope you enjoy!
Part three's excerpt: "Step Outside the Box"
I try to be as active as I can in this quest for a cure. I’m a stay-at-home mom so I'm busy but I'm not terribly busy so I do put in time when I can. My main concern is keeping not just my son but everyone else's child or person who lives with type one diabetes healthy, keeping them alive so that we can all see a cure. I believe that there will be a cure in my son's lifetime and he's only twelve, I don't believe we'll have to wait another 50 years or another 70 years for a cure I believe there will be some things on the horizon that will make all the hard work that everyone does worthwhile. I'm active with my local Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation where I am currently their T.O.F.U.N. Chair (Type One Families United). What we do is unite families together, parents and children, have a great event something entertaining like a movie or go to an amusement park; something that is going to keep the kids’ interest and get them out the door, to want to come and fellowship with us. And at the same time, we have an educational aspect with either a panelist of nurses, dietitians, or endocrinologists’ different professionals who offer a little bit of education, a little bit of helpful tips and of course support So I enjoy that.
I'm also an advocate for JDRF so when I can I call. I call my congressman, or any other politician that I need to call or mainly email. A couple of years ago I had the experience of actually talking to a couple of them locally bringing my son’s picture and letting them really know what this battle is all about. So, I do that when I can. Most importantly I enjoy being a mentor. I only had the opportunity to mentor one family, but I've been involved with mentorship training and talked to other mentors sharing our stories. It is really uplifting as well as fulfilling to know that we're able to help a new family through their diagnosis and support them in dealing with all the ins and outs of their new lifestyle. Especially when you first come home from the hospital. When you first find out your child is diagnosed you have no idea what to expect, the hospital does not give you enough information; they don't tell you what it's really all about because they don't know.
The complete essay discusses my feelings surrounding our day to day life as a family, my connection and volunteer work with JDRF and the impact they had on our family. I shared the experience in hope that it would encourage those who read it become comfortable with the uncomfortable and learnt to take chances. If you've missed parts one or two I've added the links to them below and please share this story with anyone you know living with type one diabetes whether it is because they have it themselves, are raising a child with it or know someone who is, there may be a little gem of information that will help make their journey a little easier and that is my goal.
Save the date: March 30, 2024, Pre-Launch Countdown: 6 more days to published!
