T1Trio Outreach

This past month has provided awesome speaking opportunities for the Type One Trio! Though we couldn't get all three of us together, we were able to participate in separate events!

The first of these entailed Hannah, Daniel, and Dad flying out to Minneapolis, MI. They are part of a study group that gathers information on contrasting views of a T1D patient and their health care provider. Out of 40 people in the group, it was pretty cool to see them chosen for this trip. Although I wasn't able to attend, I was told that the trip was a great success! 

(Not to mention getting to fly, staying in a crazy big hotel, and sight-seeing in Minneapolis was a big bonus!)

(Sorry this is the only one I have)

On July 18th, I was able to attend Camp Endeavor in Madison, WI. It is a diabetic day camp for  newly-diagnosed families. I was part of a six member panel that would answer questions, whether preset or brought up by those attending. It was an absolutely incredible time, and getting to meet newly-diagnosed families was pretty awesome. Though I myself am rather new to T1D, I found that being able to share my humor and our family's story was very helpful for some overwhelmed families. It was truly inspiring to see these new families doing so well! The beginning is definitely the hardest.

As for the lack of posts this summer, I apologize! It's been hard to even get to my laptop with the hectic craziness of work and activity! I have found that college is more conducive to blogging than summer! ;) I will try to post more here in the upcoming weeks!

So Much More

Before our family lived with Type One Diabetes, 

We didn't have to bleed our fingers,

We didn't have to give insulin, 

We didn't need to wear an insulin pump,

We didn't have to stick ourselves with a needle every three days,

We didn't have to worry about a bad site,

We didn't have to worry about hitting capillaries,

We didn't have to experience a low blood sugar,

We didn't have to feel the sting of insulin, 

We didn't have to carry sugar,

We didn't have to inform those around us about glucagon,

We didn't have to give the glucagon,

We didn't have to monitor our blood sugars, 

We didn't have to track blood sugar trends, 

We didn't have to worry about our bodies rejecting ports,

We didn't have to understand hypoglycemia,

We didn't have to understnad hyperglycemia,

We didn't have to test for ketones,

We didn't have to worry about DKA

We didn't have to draw blood every 3 months,

We didn't have to order supplies,

We didn't have to carry bags of supplies, 

We didn't have to give shots in the middle of the night,

We didn't have to worry about insulin-resistance,

We didn't have to worry about sugar in our urine,

We didn't have to consider long-term complications,

We didn't have to count carbs,

We didn't have to worry about bad A1Cs,

We didn't have to worry about hurting our pump,

We didn't have to change our infusion sites,

We didn't have to eat sugar at 2 A.M.,

We didn't have to constantly use needles,

We didn't have to change out lancets,

We didn't have to think like a pancreas, 

We didn't have scars on our fingers,

We didn't have to constantly explain our disease,

We didn't have to worry about night time lows,

We didn't have to worry about running out of insulin,

We didn't have to worry about insulin spoiling,

We didn't have to worry about not waking up,

We didn't have to depend on insulin for life.

With T1D, there is no easy path- no quick way out- no alternate route. It is not a cured disease that is easily managed . . . it is so much more.

*Inspired by "Before I Was Diagnosed," by Ellie Huckle