Tag Archives: Mike Lawson

Diabetes By The Numbers: Mike Lawson.

July 31, 2018 – 10:11 am

Mike Lawson is easy to talk to. He’s been on the podcast before, in one of his many roles with Diabetes Hands Foundation. Today, Mike still has a number of roles… in addition to a full time job, he’s a board member at T1 International.

And he’s written a book!

Open Up Your Bag is a delightful children’s book that helps familiarize young ones to the everyday tasks that come with living with diabetes. As Mike mentions, it also helps facilitate discussion about life with diabetes between kids and their parents.

If you’re a fan of Mike’s artwork at DHF and elsewhere, you’ll notice it in the new book because he’s the illustrator too! In fact, that image above is me, along with the title of the book. And I love it.

In our conversation, we talk about the book, about Mike’s creativity, and his lifelong love of children’s literature. It’s a terrific chat, and a terrific book.
DBTN

Reference Material – Click below for more information on this topic

Mike Lawson’s new book, Open Up Your Bag, is available via Amazon:
Get your copy of Open Up Your Bag

You can find coloring and activity sheets for Open Up Your Bag by going to Diabetes Doodles:
diabetesdoodles.com

By StephenS | Posted in Diabetes By The Numbers | Also tagged , , | Comments (1)

Diabetes By The Numbers: Mike Lawson talks Big Blue Test.

October 14, 2016 – 9:08 am

bbt-2016
Today begins one of my favorite times of the year. Every year, Diabetes Hands Foundation sponsors the Big Blue Test. Now until November 14 (World Diabetes Day), you and your loved ones, plus anyone else you know, are encouraged to get moving. And log the results. And help diabetes groups doing amazing work to build community and help others.

Here’s how it works: first, check your blood glucose. Not living with diabetes? Skip this step. Then get out and get moving for 14 to 20 minutes or more. You can walk, run, swim, bike, play badminton, ride a Big Wheel, whatever. Then do another BG check (or skip it if you don’t live with diabetes) and log the results at BigBlueTest.org. Or make it easy on yourself and download the Big Blue Test app on your iPhone or Android device, and do the same.

For the next month, every Big Blue Test logged will result in a $3.00(US) donation, split evenly among three wonderful diabetes non-profits:

Diabetes Sisters

We Are Diabetes

Riverside Community Diabetes Collaborative

Three fantastic organizations providing help, education, and support to those living with or at risk of living with diabetes.

Today, Mike Lawson, Senior Director of Programs and Marketing for Diabetes Hands Foundation, joins me to talk everything Big Blue Test, including a little about this year’s grantees, the goals for this year, and a new way for exercise groups to get involved in the Big Blue Test initiative. Have a listen, then click on the links below.
DBTN

Reference Material – Click below for more information on this topic

Mike Lawson is Senior Director of Programming and Marketing for Diabetes Hands Foundation:
diabeteshandsfoundation.org

You can log your Big Blue Test Results at:
BigBlueTest.org

You can also log your exercise after downloading the Big Blue Test app on your iPhone or Android device.

Groups can sign up and log their group exercise activity by going to:
BigBlueTest.org/groups

Don’t forget to share your Big Blue Test activity and follow others by using the hashtag:
#BigBlueTest

By StephenS | Posted in Diabetes By The Numbers | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

It makes my heart hurt.

May 2, 2014 – 9:08 am

I was alerted to this by a co-worker the other day. So when I had a moment over the weekend, I drove into the city, to the corner of North Avenue and Greenmount to check it out myself. Then I drove around a bit.

DSC01476

These signs are up on nearly every street corner in some lower-income parts of Baltimore right now. I couldn’t wrap my head around this idea when I first heard about it, but now that I’ve seen that sign (and many others), something is really bothering me.

So I did some research. I found that companies buying test strips, then reselling them, is nothing new. It’s also legal, if whoever is reselling the strips has FDA approval to do so. In fact, Diabetes Mine did an important story on this almost two years ago (they get quoted about once a week here, and twice on weeks with days ending in Y). Mike Lawson did the investigating and wrote the story, and it gave me chills.

It also had me asking questions. Questions like: What kind of screwed up healthcare system do we have in America, when people who need help have trouble getting it, and people who prey on others with very little cash can operate with impunity? How does all of this work? What kind of profit is there in this?

Well, the money must be good at least. Because there are dozens of sites online that will buy up your test strips. And then resell them. Some are operated by individuals, some by actual companies.

As I mentioned, I’m very distressed by the presence of these signs in my community. I absolutely hate the idea that people with very little will feel the need to take shortcuts on their diabetes management just so they can pay the light bill. It makes my heart hurt.

I feel like there must be a special place in hell for people who exploit this kind of weakness. Rather than helping someone who may really need it, they’re helping themselves to profits on the backs of those who can least afford it, financially or physically.

So I think I’m going to see what I can find out about the organization behind the phone number and the cheesy signs. I can’t really consider myself an “investigative reporter” type. I don’t have any idea what I’ll find out, if anything. But I can’t let go of this yet.

More to come.
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Diabetes | Also tagged , , | Comments (7)