How rude! The Washington Post recently ran a column from Miss Manners where she recommended people with diabetes only check their blood sugar out of sight. Specifically, she advised we go into an airplane bathroom to check, rather than possibly disturbing those around us. This is wrong for many, many reasons. When my son was…
“We know him!!” We had just turned on the Olympics last night when this segment on skiier and type 1 diabtetic Kris Freeman came up: [youtube id=”kGgZaM9Of3U” width=”600″ height=”350″] Of course, we don’t really know Kris, but we’ve met him at a few diabetes events. He’s signed cards for my kids and chatted with us…
I spent this weekend in St. Louis as a speaker at a JDRF Chapter retreat. It was a wonderful experience and, for one moment, it was like looking into a mirror through a time machine. A two year old boy perched on his grandfather’s shoulders, his older sister looking up at me from behind a…
Just over three weeks in and I am so excited that we started using the Dexcom CGM. (Don’t know what that is? There’s a good explanation here) First impressions? We love it. A CGM gives copious amounts of data, which is incredibly useful to a person with diabetes. It also alarms when BG is going…
I am so excited to report all about our first two weeks using the Dexcom CGM. But first I have to tell you about how we almost lost it. Yes, already. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has three parts. The transmitter and sensor connect to each other and are attached to your body. The receiver…
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…
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…