Tag Archives: Spare A Rose

Welcome to February #SpareaRose

February 1, 2019 – 10:11 am

Welcome to February. Welcome to Spare a Rose, Save a Child.

In over 50 countries around the world, children diagnosed with diabetes are in serious need of insulin… meters and test strips… basic diabetes education. In the countries they live in, money and resources are also hard to come by.

That’s where the International Diabetes Federation’s Life for a Child program steps in. Thanks to your life-sustaining donation to the Spare a Rose, Save a Child campaign, these children have a chance.

Now until Valentine’s Day, February 14, do the simple math: the value of one rose you might buy for a loved one (about $5 USD) can help to save the life of a child for an entire month. That’s a very measurable way to consider the impact of your important donation.

What your donation means is that in places where diabetes is a critical diagnosis for a child, kids are provided with insulin; meters, test strips, and lancets; diabetes education; and even diabetes training for local medical staff.

Click on the giving link and donate today:
LFACInternational.org/SpareaRose

Don’t forget to share the giving link with your friends at work, at school, and on social media too.

Spare one rose this Valentine’s Day, save a life of a deserving child for an entire month. Spare a dozen roses and save a life for an entire year.

There are a lot of things we can’t do. We can’t cure this disease all by ourselves. What we can do, one by one, is make a contribution that will make all the difference in the world for a child who might face quite a bleak future without our intervention.

Spare a Rose this February. Save a life. And… Thank You.

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

Not a schmuck.

February 12, 2016 – 9:09 am

SpareARoseBanner

Today, I finally got around to making my donation to this year’s Spare a Rose, Save a Child campaign.

I consider myself very fortunate, because sometimes I have a few dollars to spare to donate to worthy diabetes-related causes. More importantly, even if it were a real stretch, I would still want to find a way to give to Spare A Rose.

That’s not because it’s visible right now, it’s not because it’s the flavor of the month, it’s not because people I know and like are involved.

It’s because Spare a Rose, Save a Child saves lives.

The bad news: Children diagnosed with or living with diabetes in a developing country can die without access to the insulin, meters, test strips and more that are part of my simple, everyday management of this chronic illness. Why should those kids be left out? Why should they be denied the very things that will keep them alive?

The good news: I can do something about it. I can’t get CGM approval for Medicare patients approved all by myself. I can’t keep companies from marketing cinnamon/okra/yogurt treatments or “diabetic socks” all by myself. I can’t cure this stupid condition all by myself. But I can, all by myself, make a contribution that will make a measurable difference in the life of a child who could die without my intervention.

That’s pretty powerful stuff.

It’s a simple idea. The cost of one rose on Valentine’s Day? That’s about the cost of one month’s worth of life-giving insulin for a child living in a developing country. The International Diabetes Federation’s Life for a Child Programme has boots on the ground in those countries, saving lives where they otherwise would be lost. Partnering for Diabetes Change helps gather donations through the Spare a Rose, Save a Child campaign and get them to the IDF.

Look at the next child you see. Imagine that child not having access to the insulin they need to life the life they deserve. Then imagine what you can do about it. I’ll bet you can come up with something.

Giving to Spare a Rose, Save a Child means I’m more than just a schmuck with a blog. It means I’m a schmuck with a blog who’s a life saver too. Not the butterscotch kind, though those are pretty good. Think of yourself as the kind of person who saves lives. Then go do it. Give, so children can live.

CLICK HERE or on the banner above to donate to Spare a Rose, Save a Child.
 

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

Still time to #SpareARose.

February 13, 2015 – 9:54 am

Click here to save children – Donate to Spare A Rose, Save a Child

SAR2015
 
As we approach Valentine’s Day, let me remind you that this is the perfect time to help save the life of a child living with diabetes in a developing country.

I’m so lucky… I got to make a trip to Europe, and never once had to worry about my insulin needs. Others, children in fact, do not have this luxury.

Insulin should not be a luxury.

Make a donation now to the International Diabetes Federation’s Life for a Child program, and help ensure that children live. Just five dollars buys a month of insulin for a child in the third world.

There’s also an option that allows you to have a donation made on your behalf on a monthly basis throughout the year. In “Save the Children” terms, that’s just 17 cents per day to help give a child a chance at the life they deserve.

We never know how children will grow up. How many Ghandis or Mandelas are out there waiting to be discovered? With your help, they can get their chance to shine.

For People With Diabetes, insulin should not be a privilege; it should be a right. Help maintain the right to insulin for Children With Diabetes by making your donation to the Spare A Rose, Save a Child campaign today.
 
 
 

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

A few D and non-D thoughts.

September 9, 2014 – 11:39 am

Because this is my blog, here are a few random diabetes and non-diabetes ramblings, in no particular order:

– Ever notice a difference in how your diabetes works with different insulins? Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know… yet. The fact is, they all work. It makes sense if they don’t all work the same. The trick is in finding what works best for you, and then not using what you’re using as an excuse for results that don’t make you happy.

– Additional note: Don’t tell me they all work the same, then tell me I have to pay three fucking times more for one than I have to pay for another. There’s a point where copyrights of manufacturers and the rights of so-called insurers need to be tempered by the needs of patients who need said insulins to survive. Three fucking times more means the balance is skewed too far toward the manufacturer and/or the insurer, and not enough toward the patient.

– I’m very excited to be speaking later on today with the brother-sister team of Hayley and Ethan Maurice, who earlier this year climbed Mount Whitney, tallest peak in the contiguous United States, raising thousands for JDRF. I’m eager to find out how things have been going since their backpacking adventure, and get a little inside scoop on how things were during their climb too.

– Part of the reason why I’m speaking with the Maurices today, and not before their trip, is because my life has been scheduled beyond belief for the past several months. I mean, I’ve had something scheduled every single Saturday morning going back to mid-May. That’s the last time I’ve slept past 7 a.m. on any morning. Sorry to complain about it so much, but every time I whine about how busy I am, it kind of lets off a little of the pressure I’m feeling, plus it helps me to focus on what is really meaningful, which is the fact that I’m amazingly lucky to be so busy. And this Saturday morning: I’m helping a friend on the other side of town at 7 o’clock. Then I’m meeting a rep from a pump maker. See what I mean?

– I get the fact that people are feeling a little jealous about the ALS ice bucket challenge. I’ve seen enthusiastic ice bucket challenge videos from people who have never donated to any of the diabetes-related things I’ve advocated for. Hell yes, I’m jealous. But I don’t begrudge them one ounce of their fun nor one dollar of their fundraising. I don’t wish Lou Gehrig’s disease on anyone any more than I wish diabetes on anyone. They are both horrific things to have to live with, and the sooner they’re both eradicated from the earth the better. I’m sad that we in the diabetes world get a lot more attention for complaining about an article in the New York Times than we get for helping to save the lives of children who don’t have access to insulin or the means to pay for it. But as I’ve noted before… when I compete, I don’t feel good, even when I win. When I help, I feel good, even if no one notices. So let’s keep our eyes open for opportunities to help, and if we keep helping, I think an opportunity will present itself and grow like this one did for ALS. If: We are all working together. Supporting each other.

– Speaking of other things I (probably) have no business weighing in on: Is it okay now to call this whole Ray Rice thing a fiasco? Maureen probably had the best take on it yesterday when I asked her whether she thought the NFL had knowledge of the elevator video prior to yesterday. She said: “Sure they knew the video existed. They just didn’t want to pay for it like TMZ did. Good for the NFL for not paying for it; shame on the NFL for not doing the right thing in the first place, video or not.” My take: No one should get a free pass on this issue. Including the fans of my favorite football team. The statistics show that no one is untouched by abuse. I’d be really happy if we could say that no one is untouched by protection from abuse. No one. Ever.

Now I’m off to search for those Medicine X videos from last week. I’m jealous of everyone who was there, but in the most supportive of ways. I can’t wait to hear everything I’ve only heard up to now via Twitter and blog posts. Be safe, be well, and remember: I support you… no conditions.
 
 
 

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