I haven’t been writing a lot lately. It’s hard when, for the first time in a long time, I’m not sure we’re doing this right. Benny’s last three A1C’s have been rotten and I feel like we’re the most out of control since diagnosis. I feel guilty and sad. I don’t want to feel like that…
There are some really cool things happening with diabetes technology. One of them is a teddy bear. This summer, we met the founders of Sproutel, a company that wants to educate children about chronic conditions through play. Their first product is Jerry the Bear, an interactive toy for kids with type 1 diabetes. I spoke…
Every year I go into Benny’s class and talk about diabetes. My little presentation has changed a lot since preschool, and so have the questions. This year, Benny wanted to explain most of it himself and we changed an insulin cartridge so the class could see some of how the pump works. I always send…
This week I’ve been volunteering at the Chiquita Classic golf tournament. I’m in the media tent with air conditioning and candy so it’s not a bad gig. This tournament is part of the Web.com tour; the players try for spots on the PGA. It’s the new Q school, basically. We’ve seen some incredible golf and…
What a treat to speak with Crystal Bowersox earlier this summer. For the second year, the singer/songwriter and American Idol runner-up traveled to the Friends For Life Conference. She shared her own experiences with type 1 diabetes and became an inspiration to the children and families there. Here’s my interview with her: [youtube id=”d-M2g4KTka4″ width=”600″…
How many times have you struggled to get your child to do something only to realize all it takes is seeing one of their friends do the very same thing? Sometimes diabetes care works that way too. Benny took a step forward at the recent Children with Diabetes Friends for Life Conference. Children with Diabetes…
I’m going to guess I had one of the more unusual experiences at Children With Diabetes Friends For Life. After hearing about it for years, this was my first time at the annual conference. I was excited attend seminars and join in the fun. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way. We arrived on Wednesday…
I’m always grateful when people share their inspiring stories of living with type 1 diabetes. Sometimes, though, I’m just in awe. Kris Freeman was diagnosed while training for the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was told he could no longer compete on an elite level, but apparently, he disagreed. Three Olympics later, Freeman is the only acknowledged…
I’m at the Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference this week. It’s a unique event. Picture a professional and educational conference crossed with summer camp for kids and their families. CWD itself was started by Jeff Hitchcock more than 20 years ago, after his then two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1. I was thrilled…
I’m a huge fan of summer camp. Sleep-away camp, residential camp, whatever it’s called now. I spent the better part of 8 summers away from home and it helped make me who I am. This is Benny’s second year away at diabetes camp. He goes to a week-long program where all campers and most counselors…