Hope

​Hope is something I have been lacking recently and just feeling diabetes burnout and going through the motions.  A successful day of diabetes is just surviving.  Recently we attended the friends for life conference in Canada and a gentleman by the name of Andrew Deutscher talked about type 1 diabetes and those "thriving" instead of just "surviving". I want us to be that. 

We just attended the JDRF gala this past weekend. I heard words such as "hope". There was so much inspiration. People were so generously donating money to help my child and all other type 1 diabetics. I am inspired and completely grateful for all who gave and supported this wonderful cause.  I sometimes forget about the hope I saw at Friends for life Orlando, when I saw my little 8 year old hold the  bionic pancreas prototype in her hands. The sparkle in her eyes when she realized what this could mean for her. She was holding hope in her hands. The future of diabetes. I remember it, but it still sits in the back of my mind sometimes, buried beneath  all the other things that cross my mind each day. That was hope. A cure is coming, a chance for her to experience life without worrying her number one fear....."will there be a cure for type 1 diabetes?". Yes folks, this is what my 9 year old worries about.
I'm a diabetes mom and my daughter needs a cure. The stress is real, the mental health needs are real, the daily struggles are real. The worry for me as a mom of worrying if my child will wake up in the morning is real. We worry, we stress, and we cry.
I'm tired of just "surviving". Im tired of just going through the motions.
As I think of the times I have had to force feed my daughter sugar or juice at 2am, or see her struggle through the horrible feelings of a low blood sugar, I vow to not lose hope. There are amazing people fighting for a cure and are working so hard to find one. Hannah needs a cure, but until that happens, I will fight with her, hope for her, and pray for her.
The cure.. its coming.

Catching up.....

I looked back and realized I have not posted an entry since September!! Its been a roller coaster of a year for us. We have been super busy with everything life throws at you. Now that the school year is almost over, I have had some time to reflect on the past year. Hannah has grown so much and has matured incredibly in the diabetes world. Her coping skills in dealing with this disease has continued to amaze me everyday. Hannah was blessed back in the fall with an incredible gift from the Dream Factory. A dream trip to the big apple and to shop at the American Girl Store! It was an amazing weekend filled with lots of memories, I am still blown away at the generosity and it gives me hope for the world we live in.

 Hannah has taken up a new activity this year.. Irish dancing! She is absolutely in love with this and I see great things coming from her in the future. Her blood sugars tank during her hour class but we just correct it and move on. 

We just received her Dexcom continuous glucose monitor. This measures her blood sugar every 5 minutes and gives us trend graphs as to how she is doing, which allows us to gain tighter control  over her numbers and in turn have better A1C's long term. It also allows mom and dad to have some peace of mind not just during the day, but at night as well. We sleep better knowing her dexcom will alarm if she should fall to a dangerous level.

We just wrapped up a great JDRF walk. Hannah's team raised around $500 in all. We had about 30 walkers . We are so thankful for everyone who donated and came out in support of us. So much of this disease is being surrounded by people who support us and love us, even more so for Hannah who really needs to see that. Diabetes takes a huge toll on the family emotionally, and even though we may look like we are doing okay, we always have that need to see the support.
We have met some incredible people this year in the diabetes world. We have made some new friends with people who "get it."

Our biggest excitement coming up is that we will be attending the 2015 Children with Diabetes Friends for life conference this July. Its a conference where type 1 diabetics and their families from all around the country come to meet, make friends, and learn the latest and greatest There will be diabetic educators from all over coming and presenting on topics ranging from how to carb count to raising a tween with type 1 diabetes, There are age appropriate groups for the children. Hannah will be with kids her age and have fun just being a kid but being able to see that she is not alone in this battle. It also just so happens to be held at Disney. We are so excited and have heard that this is a life changing experience for a type 1 family. I will be posting of our experience after we return home. 

Irish dancing

Hannah's JDRF walk team shirts

Dexcom has arrived!

Our team :)