Tag Archives: children with diabetes

Friends for Life 2019

July 24, 2019 – 10:11 am

For many of us living with diabetes, being together and supporting one another through the day-to-day grind of a chronic condition is what makes us feel like we have meaning.

The notion of that statement was on full display last week at Children With Diabetes’ 20th annual Friends for Life event in Orlando. Young and old, newbie and veteran, all took turns sharing (both lterally and figuratively) and supporting one another.

I was at Friends for Life as a member of CWD’s IT team, helping to set up projectors and sound in rooms, and getting speaker presentations ready to go. Full disclosure: Children With Diabetes paid for my accommodations so I could work on the IT team at FFL. All opinions are my own.

When I think about it, I’ve probably been to four or five out of the last six or seven of these gatherings. But… I’ve never been there as a participant. I’m always working. First it was MasterLab a couple of times, in and out in a day or two. Then I manned the DPAC booth in the exhibit hall for a couple of years. Now, IT and AV tasks.

I say this so you’ll know that my observations are from someone who didn’t attend everything, or really anything, but watched as people who did experienced their best week of the year.

This past week, I saw kids happily run from place to place with smiles on their faces, knowing that no one was going to try to stop them from what they were doing because of their diabetes.

I watched teenagers as they learned to grow into bigger, better versions of themselves, knowing that they will have support from lots of friends and family along the way.

I saw a meeting room packed with people learning about DIY looping, and then participating in a looping workshop that was so popular its time was extended, and the next session, scheduled to take place in the same room, was moved to accommodate the effort.

I saw passionate advocacy sessions led and attended by people who want so much to make a positive impact for everyone living with diabetes, and to teach and learn how to do so.

I witnessed hugs and handshakes. Side conversations and inside jokes. The deep sighs from first-timers who are just starting to rein it all in, and the knowing support from veterans who have been there, and then some.

Behind the scenes was a dedicated staff of individuals, working registration, as room captains, in Sports Central, on the IT team, and handling a number of other roles with empathy and service toward all those attending.

Altogether, it made for an outstanding week of education, networking, and social events that isn’t seen anywhere else in our community. That’s why Friends for Life is so special.

For my part, I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with anyone newly met or that I already knew. Weeks like this have a way of just flying by. To anyone who’s time was short with me, I’m sorry… I’ll try to do better next time.

For so many kids and adults who have diabetes in their lives, Friends for Life is their safe place. Their unique environment. Their hallowed ground.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”. A couple of decades ago, there was a dream, and for the 20th time, it came true, for everyone at Friends for Life Orlando.

By StephenS | Posted in Events | Also tagged , | Comments (1)

How about Giving Every Day?

November 29, 2018 – 12:22 pm

Giving Tuesday was an interesting experience this year. Never before have I encountered so many requests for money in such a short time, including four e-mail requests in the span of 27 hours from JDRF.

I don’t mind saying it felt overwhelming. I know, Facebook was matching a lot of the money donated on Tuesday, and I’m happy about that. But with extremely few exceptions, none of us has pockets deep enough to donate to every worthy diabetes cause.

And what about now? Now, now that #GivingTuesday is over? Is it okay to ignore these charities now? I don’t think so. I mean, they still have unmet needs, they still employ people, they still have a mission. Do they deserve all of our money one day, and none the next?

I think I’m getting off track here… let me bring the conversation back.

Whenever we can, we should always be about giving. I’ve personally donated to many causes this year, and I’ll probably give to one or two more by the end of December, even though, admittedly, I didn’t donate a single dime on Giving Tuesday.

Do you feel that way too? Do you think you might still be able to donate to a worthy diabetes non-profit before the end of the year? If so, let me give you a few to consider, in no order whatsoever. These organizations will be happy to handle your donation any day of the year.

Click on the link provided in the name of the organization to go to their donation page:
 
 
Life for a Child – Providing insulin and supplies to children living with diabetes in over 40 developing nations around the globe. God knows how many lives they’ve helped save.

Diabetes Sisters – What can I say about the ‘Sisters that hasn’t already been said? Great website and blog, programs to connect and educate and empower women living with diabetes wherever they are.

Children With Diabetes – CWD is the home of the Friends for Life conferences, and they also provide a tremendous amount of knowledge and support for kids, teens, adults, and families who have diabetes as a part of their lives.

Tidepool’s Big Data Donation Project – from Tidepool’s website: “The Tidepool Big Data Donation Project lets you securely and anonymously donate de-identified diabetes device data to researchers, device makers, and other innovators who deeply need it.” Best of all, YOU get to decide which non-profit benefits from sharing your data. And it doesn’t cost you anything!
 
 
Whether you give to these or any other worthy organizations, giving is good. Continued giving helps you feel good continuously. And that’s what we’re all looking for at this time of year, yes?

By StephenS | Posted in Holidays | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

Friends for Life Orlando 2017.

July 10, 2017 – 9:18 am

Full disclosure: I was able to spend last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at Friends for Life in Orlando, Florida. Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition paid for my travel. All opinions are unquestionably mine, and it was my honor to advocate before so many wonderful people.

Just like last year, I worked the DPAC booth in the exhibit hall at Friends for Life, the largest gathering of People With Diabetes in the country. I was also lucky enough to sit in a couple of sessions and spend time once again with diabetes friends.

I remain grateful for the opportunity to advocate for those living with and affected by diabetes, and in the USA, DPAC is the best, easiest way I know of to make your voice heard by elected officials and policy makers across the country. If you haven’t yet, please download the DPAC app now and add your voice to the growing chorus advocating nationwide.

There was quite a bit of lively discussion during the various advocacy sessions led by DPAC CEO Christel Marchand Aprigliano and Stewart Perry. People were asking questions after the sessions and letting their friends know about DPAC too, and that gives us all a great feeling. I know our advocacy efforts will only grow from here.

The rest of the conference (or at least the part that I was there for) was wonderful too, as always. The Children With Diabetes staff really goes out of their way to make everyone feel welcome… even the exhibitors.

I’m not sure I can tell you anything special about this year’s gathering though. I think there are a number of reasons for that.

First, think about it: there really aren’t any amazing product launches that are new. Medtronic’s 670g is fairly new, but Medtronic was once again absent from the largest concentration of Type 1 diabetes patients in one place anywhere in the country.

There weren’t any recent research announcements either. Nothing that makes patients (and especially parents) excited for the next improvement in diabetes management.

Plus, I think Children With Diabetes has a problem. It’s a wonderful problem created by their wonderful efforts to bring additional sessions to adults, and emerging adults, and teens and tweens, and parents, and other caregivers.

I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t want CWD to change any of that. Their challenge going forward will be to avoid having their amazing inclusiveness create a lot of smaller gatherings, rather than what has always felt like one big gathering of diabetes family.

That’s a tall order. But if anyone can pull it off, I suspect Jeff Hitchcock and his fabulous team can do it. Let’s face it: nothing stays the same. It’s not avoiding change, but instead embracing change and making it work for everyone, that helps great things evolve. And Friends for Life has always been a great thing.

In addition to that, there was one part of Friends for Life that I don’t usually pay much attention to… but it really hit me this year.

I took a couple of moments to go through the Quilt for Life exhibit that is always set up in the back of the hall. The display includes hundreds of quilts depicting various diabetes issues, interests, and people living with this insidious condition.

So to finish up, here are a few photos of quilts I noticed. I don’t know why yet, but the last one really got me, and it still does. I practically broke down right on the exhibit hall floor when I saw it. How does it affect you?



I am under no obligation to do so, but I should mention that there is one more Friends for Life gathering coming up this year, and it will be in my part of the world. Friends for Life Falls Church will be coming to the D.C. area October 6, 7, and 8. To find out more, CLICK HERE.

By StephenS | Posted in Events | Also tagged , , | Comments (3)

#FFLFC16: A Weekend Well Spent.

April 12, 2016 – 9:08 am

Over the weekend, I was able to attend another gathering where People With Diabetes were able to learn, share, and enjoy the company of one another.

From the team that brings you the Friends for Life conference in Orlando each July, the Falls Church, Virginia version was a welcome weekend spent with a different group than I’m used to hanging out with.

But that’s good, because I like families, I like kids, and I definitely like meeting new people. Over the course of two and a half days, I was also able to get back up to speed on the latest in Artificial Pancreas research from two groups, get firsthand accounts of the amazing development of the Nightscout system, and I was able to take in (and speak with attendees) about advocacy issues including Medicare CGM coverage, our relationship with FDA, #SuspendBidding, and more.

This event was pretty well attended, and the location couldn’t be better. From a purely personal perspective (and this has nothing to do with the content of the conference), the buffet meals were really good. Lots of options, including gluten free, and carb counts on everything.

The content of the sessions, as you might expect, varied depending on whether they were for adults, kids, or parents. The adult sessions included Dr. Korey Hood from Stanford covering diabetes burnout; a guide to applying the glycemic index to what you eat by Gary Scheiner; nearly a full day on diabetes advocacy from the super team of Christel Marchand Aprigliano and Bennet Dunlap; and finding support through social media with Kerri Sparling.

There was also an exhibit space that featured every U.S. pump maker except Medtronic, Roche (and their latest Accu-Chek meter—I’m interested), the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (with laptops people could use to e-mail their elected officials in Congress and the Senate!), and both the American Diabetes Association and JDRF.

A couple of tidbits from the weekend: we were told that this was the first Children With Diabetes conference that featured more adult attendees with diabetes than kids or families. And, it looks like Jeff Hitchcock and Laura Billetdeaux are looking at options to come back to the Capitol area for another conference very soon. Which I think would be fantastic. It was three years between events in the D.C. area, and that’s too long to wait.

The Great Spousal Unit likes to say that after a diabetes event, I come home more energized, and walking on air for a considerable time afterward. Since she made the trip with me this time, I think she now knows why. I hope she does. Because no matter how often I gather with people who walk the same path I do, it still means a great deal to me to be together with them in the same space.

Thanks to all of the staff and volunteers at Friends for Life Falls Church for being so welcoming, helpful, and informative. And in case you were wondering, I was not given anything to say that. It comes straight from the heart.
 

By StephenS | Posted in Events | Also tagged , | Comments (4)

July #DSMA Blog Carnival: What would YOU change about diabetes?

July 28, 2014 – 9:45 am

The July blog carnival topic is a simple, yet interesting one. I could take this in many directions:

We usually talk about how we deal with different aspects of diabetes, or things that would help us deal with those aspects. This month let’s change things up a bit. We’re going to revisit a question from the Open Chat on June 18th and come up with something about diabetes to change. That’s right, we want to know . . . .

If you could change one thing about diabetes, (besides not having it), what would you change? Why?
 
 
I’m going to answer this a little differently from what you might expect. What would I change?

I would make it so no child would ever be diagnosed with diabetes.

I don’t have any kids, but I always wanted one or two of my own. I know many D-parents will scoff at this, but I honestly don’t know how I would deal with a child’s diagnosis. I know, ultimately, you do what you have to do for your children. That’s the way it should be. But man… even today, I just ache every time I read about another kid added to our little club. No child should ever have to face my kind of life so early on in their own development.

And what about the parents? I’m really just guessing here, but I’ll bet that something like a child’s diabetes affects the parents way more than they ever let on. Sending their child off to school or camp without knowing how their day will turn out. Communicating with the insurance company to get durable medical or prescriptions straightened out. Setting the alarm for the middle of the night so they can get up and check their kid (or kids), every single night for as many nights, weeks, months, and years as it takes. No parent should ever have to face this kind of burden.

And these are the problems of someone who has access to care and insulin and the latest medical devices, which, as we know, isn’t always the case.

I was lucky enough to be diagnosed Type 1 as an adult. By the time I was diagnosed, I had my own job and my own insurance. I had lots to learn and a lot of work to do, but at least I had a bit of a head start compared to the children who live with diabetes. Kids and Parents are blind-sided by this kind of news– at a time when a child is growing, learning, experiencing all the joys of life, they now have to add fingersticks and carb counting and bolus calculations and infusion set changes. There is nothing that’s right or fair about that.

So if I could, if I couldn’t eradicate it entirely, I would make it so parents would never have to hear that their child has been diagnosed with diabetes.

Unfortunately, I can’t do that. But… Do you know what I can do? I can help educate people. I can speak out for better healthcare and greater access to care. I can promote greater understanding. I can participate in walks and rides and other events that help raise money to fund bigger research, better tools, and hopefully, a cure. I can write my elected officials. I can support the amazing D-parents who are courageously telling their story. If I can’t remove diabetes from my vocabulary entirely, I can at least work toward making life a lot better for the kids.

Even though it might cause an issue with the naming of certain conferences around the country, my wish is for no more children with diabetes. If I ever had a child of my own, I’d want that to be what I’d change. I’d want that to be my legacy.
 
 
This post is my July entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetescaf.org/2014/05/may-dsma-blog-carnival-4/
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in DSMA Blog Carnival | Also tagged , , | Comments (2)
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