Facing Another Diagnosis--The eye of the hurricane

It hasn't been too big a secret that our family has been put through the ringer again and again. I don't know why yet but I have to have faith that someday all the heartache and silent tears will be accounted for and I will understand them. But, for now, I weep privately and have almost trained my eyes to never water in public. Public is an ambiguous term of people who just don't get it. They may want to. They may be your best friends and want to help but there comes a time when even they can't know the tumult that rocks your world.

 Since Sydney's dx on Feb. 25, 2008, we live in a hurricane zone. The hurricane is composed in insulin to carb ratios. Hurricanes based on low blood sugars that cause seizures. Hurricanes so unpredictable that we can log a very high 450 number in a daughter filling up with toxins from DKA and we pump insulin into her in order to rid her body of the deadly toxins, we fight and fight to pull her back from the brink of DKA and eventual death only to have another hurricane swing in unannounced  The next time we might be holding Sydney prisoner to severe lows where she shakes uncontrollably. She cries. She hurts. She has rapid breathing and clammy skin. Often an uncomfortable tachycardia heart rate  She is now facing death from low blood sugar. SO we fight and fight. We use all the knowledge we have to fight her off he lows. Away from the seizures and potential brain damage. We battle this damn hurricane all the time. Sometimes the hurricane calms and feels more like a breezy day at the beach and out then of nowhere the hurricane comes in and tries to claim Syd's life. We try to always be on our toes. We try to always watch because everything is so unpredictable.

Morgan has been part of a trial study for siblings of Type 1 Diabetics. It measures the antibodies in her blood. We shouldn't have any.  The presence of antibodies could mean an autoimmune response has been triggered and the body isn't producing insulin properly. The body is killing off islet cells in the pancreas and slowly blood sugars rise until a diagnosis is made. It's a tough diagnosis. There is so much to learn about this disease. We have been at it for nearly 5 years and I don't know everything I need to know. For whatever reason, Morgan's body is showing symptoms of developing this disease. We randomly check her blood sugars and they have been increasing. Fasting blood sugars should be under 100 and hers haven't been under 100 in a while. The past couple months we have really backed down on checking her sugar because she hasn't been diagnosed and if, eventually, she is diagnosed, she will be checking it often enough on her own.

So we wait. We watch. We are trying to keep track of symptoms but there isn't anything we can do to stop it if it is a pending diagnosis. Every year we raise money for JDRF and hopefully at a future date...sooner rather than later...we can find a way to stop or reverse islet cell damage.  In the meantime, we have our hurricane and we do our best to manage it. I realize this post talks about the emotional toll of this disease and  at a further date I might make a post about the financial toll of this disease. :) Thanks for reading.

Do you make promises you can't keep?

She is only 9. She lives with an awful, complicated, expensive, never-ending disease. Because she lives it, so do we. She knows the dangers of her disease. She knows what can happen. She knows the complications because we decided we wanted her to be aware so she can do her best to manage her disease...even though it made her grow up too fast. Her disease hurts. There is NOT an area of her or our life that is not affected by this disease. This disease kills. It is a disease that takes and takes and takes.

This past year our nation has been plagued with evil people taking the lives of innocent bystanders. Most recently, the Newtown, CT school shooting where a gunman attacked the school with an assault rifle, killing 20 kids and 6 teachers. It was gruesome and horrible. No parent expects that after they take their kids to school, that is the last time they will see them. We chose to tell our girls what happened because of one little survivor's story. A little girl was in a class where she was the sole survivor because she played dead. I can't imagine how horrible it was but  her wisdom could help someone in the future.

Everyone handles trauma in different ways and I don't think there is 1 right way to handle trauma and grief but I think talking about it is a good first step. If you are struggling with this situation then maybe talking is a good option. I guess if you want to try and see a silver lining it would be that, if going through a trauma, I can imagine to know a nation is supporting and thinking and praying for you would help console, if only a little.

Anyway, back to my promise. In the past month 2 kids have lost their lives to Type 1 Diabetes. Sydney overheard Loren and I talking about these tragedies. She came over to me and hugged me and said, "Promise me that will never happen to me." It seems like a simple thing but in that moment it was hard to promise something I couldn't guarantee.  I re-explained everything we do every day and every night to ensure this will never happen to her. It seemed to work and she went off to play. But it's been on my mind ever since. Every year diligent parents lose kids to this disease. At some point we just have to trust ourselves and that we are doing everything we can and leave the rest up to fate. God bless.

Are YOU a holiday hypocrite too? :)

As parents we spend our time trying to teach our children the difference between right and wrong. We sneak vegetables in their food and we make sure they drink plenty of milk. We give them fresh fruit as an alternative to sugary sweets. As parents we tuck our kids into bed each night with a story, song, prayer and a kiss. We make sure they are wearing warm jammies in the winter and cool jammies in the summer. We give them vitamins. We teach them to lace up their shoes so they don't trip and fall. 

We teach them "A clean house is a happy house. So clean up your room to make it happy!" (They have yet to make the connection that both "room" & "house" are code for "mom.") We search through their Halloween candy vigorously--hoping to find any tainted candy--after all we only want our children to be safe.  That reason & that reason alone explain the Halloween Candy Tax we impose on Halloween. ;) wink wink. We teach our children to think for themselves because "If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?" We teach them lessons in humility and altruism. We, of course, want our children turning out better than we did. We want to learn from the mistakes our parents made. We genuinely want what is best for them! One of the most important things we do as parents is teach our children about strangers. Don't talk to strangers. Never go anywhere with a stranger. Don't accept candy from a stranger. If a stranger has a kitty or puppy or hamster or ferret--do not go see it! It's most definantely a trap. We love our children--that's why we do these things

However, come Halloween through Christmastime, many of these rules go out the window. After dressing our kids up with way to much makeup, we drag them around for the neighborhood to admire; we let them accept candy from pretty much anybody who offers it to them--aka strangers. And then we get frustrated the next day when our children are literally bouncing from wall to wall! Next comes Thanksgiving where the motto is "It only comes once a year--why not enjoy it"--thus destroying the effort to make them eat enough fruits and veggies that we have worked so hard to instill! Instead, we accept things like, "I finished my 3 helpings of dinner and my first helping of pie! Can I have some pumpkin roll?" as acceptable Thanksgiving etiquette. :)

Finally my favorite--Christmas time! Here we drag our already hyper children to malls and parties and force them to sit on the lap of a strange fat man wearing a bright red suit and curly, shaggy, white hair so they can ask him for free toys. And then, we laugh & take pictures when they scream. Then, as we snuggle our hysterical children, we are secretly laughing on the inside at the jolliness that surrounds the Santa tradition.; however, not all kids are afraid to see Jolly Old Saint Nick. Those kids hop up on the stranger's lap and rattle off a list of toys & games they want--for free-- that would provide entertainment for a small third world country. :)

For us, it wouldn't be the holidays without turning our back on a few traditional parenting practices! How about you...are you guilty as charged?

Finally, I should want to condemn this practice, but alas, like most of you reading this...I find humor & holiday spirit in the backfiring of the values we have tried to instill in our children. If you don't believe me, then hopefully you will enjoy the pictures below as proof! ;)

 If you are reading this, copy this post onto your blog and add pictures similar to mine & share! Also,  be sure to leave a comment so I can come take a peek! (These pics are from several years ago...I thought it would be fun to show off my beauties when they were younger as well as pre-diabetes days for Syd.)

Its all worth it once you get your bag of goodies though!

The Difference A Month...Or 3...Makes

Wow it is easy to make excuses as to why I've slacked on the blog.  But all of them are, essentially, excuses.   Then every time I thought to update my blog I talked myself out of it due to the fact that there was just too much lapse in time and the update would be too time consuming. But I need to blog. It's an outlet for my thoughts and feelings and when I just want to complain. A lot has happened since my last post so I will briefly catch up and then share the joy with pictures.

--We had Sydney's walk for a cure. That was a lot of fun and we were able to raise about $2,000 for research.

--Trial net is a clinical trial for siblings of a Type 1 diabetic. They get a blood draw once a year and check for a few antibodies that are present in a Type 1 Diabetic.  Morgan has always had negative results until this year. Positive results don't necessarily mean she will develop T1D but it puts her in a higher risk category. We are waiting for the re-draw results. I keep thinking that I can't handle or afford another T1D but if it happens we always find a way to figure it out.

--In the last 6 weeks or so, I have heard of 3 Type 1 kids who have died from low blood sugars. We need a cure.

--2 families that I think very highly of have had to go through hell trying to find a new normal because their husbands passed away too soon. Emilie is the sweetest person you will ever meet. Her amazing husband, Brent, took their 6 year old daughter Abby for a quick ride on the motorcycle. on their trip, they were hit by a drunk driver. Brent pushed Abby off before impact. She was banged up and sore but didn't suffer any broken bones or serious injury. Brent's heroic act to save his daughter also meant that he took the brunt of impact. He passed away leaving Emilie with 5 young kids between the ages of 10 and 8 months old.

---In September, another dear friend lost her husband to a brain tumor. He was only diagnosed a few months ago. It happened way to quickly. Meri has 4 sons...3 of whom have Type 1 Diabetes.  My heart breaks for her. She is one amazing lady. She is very inspirational and writes beautifully. I have been able to gather a lot of diabetes supplies to hopefully help them out for a bit. People have been so generous to give away things to help Meri and her family. It reminds me of what Anne Frank said that people are really good at heart.

In November Loren and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Our funds are super tight but we are still going to make the most of our special day. I'm married to such a wonderful guy. :)

--Hadlee has had health issues with swallowing and airway problems...resulting in some procedures at a children's hospital. She seems to be doing well though.

I guess that is my update. Hopefully I will write something much more inspirational in my next post. :)


**My 3 girls at Syd's walk.



**Syd being so brave for her blood draw.


** This is the way Hadlee gives you "thumbs up." She thinks we are saying, "hands up." We think it's pretty cute.


**My girls at the walk's starting line...getting ready to cut the ribbon.



**Syd and Morgan working away at their dinner job. This night was lasagna and they were making the cheese layer of the lasagna.



**And, finally, this nasty burn on my hand has finally healed!! It just has a scar now but looks amazing! (This was not long before it healed over...it looked much worse.)

Crazy Month...

Things in our home have been kind of busy for the past month and, oddly enough, we have done nothing significant. Loren had to have a little surgery on June 1 and spent a couple weeks home with the family while he healed from that. I was reminded why I am not a home body and need time out of the house everyday. :) He finally went back to work this week and has been doing well although, I think he tires easily.

I turned 29 on June 11. It's a big step. I feel that life is speeding by and it just doesn't slow down. Every year that I age I know it means my parents and grandparents who are still around are just another year older as well. When aging gets a little scary I just remember one of my favorite quotes, "Never regret growing older. Tis a privilege denied to many." We have had some super scary health issues over the past 2 years and I will never  regret having another birthday to celebrate.

Morgan and Hadlee are super. Hadlee still suffers from terrible ear infections that drain down her ear lobes. Her one is ear is so compacted with infection goo that she is going back to the ENT on Monday to get it cleaned out. She has tubes but her ears are just not in the best shape. I don't know if it's a preemie thing or a Hadlee thing but, either way, it's not pleasant. I thank the good Lord above for giving us such a happy baby who only cries if something hurts. Literally. She never cries when she wakes up or anything. She just babbles and plays til we get her out of her crib. She is a gem and I can't imagine life without her. Even though my body/health may never be the same since her awful pregnancy, I coin her "The best bad thing that ever happened to me." :) Morgan is bored already with summer vacay. But I have told her not to worry, I have plenty of chores around here to keep her busy. Morgan has also been acting out angrily lately. I don't know why or what to do. I've exhausted all knowledge and if I don't figure out how to help her soon we are all going to get whiplash from her mood swings. If you have any thoughts, we'd be happy to hear them.

Sydney's blood sugars have not been stable. We found our insurance is no longer going to cover her brand of insulin. We aren't happy with trying novolog again because we really like humalog (and humalog is cheaper for us). Despite what you think, not all insulins are the same and not all affect kids the same way. I feel like I'm drowning in an ocean and I can't swim. And as much as I want a break from eating, sleeping, talking, and dreaming in numbers and carbs and ratios, etc etc etc, I feel guilty because Syd will never get a break. Ever. We need a cure. We need a cure like we need food. It can't come soon enough. Often it's a world where you are alone even when you have friends and family who are loving and supporting you. It's a world where you walk around people but no ones knows the silent war we are waging every day in our home.

That is a favorite song of mine and often reminds me of our silent war we wage and everyone who fights the type 1 battle every day. You try to say what everyone wants to hear. Smile because that's what people want to see. When someone asks how you are doing, do they really care to know? Thompson Square sings a song called "Glass." One of my favorite quotes say, "We are fragile. We are human. We are shaped by the light we let through us. We break fast cause we are glass...Try not to judge me cause we walk down different paths." Type 1 is a scary disease. Kids are battling this disease 24-7. Without a break. They are soldiers. And warriors. There is a battle being waged all across the world right now. A battle being fought by soldiers too young to vote, too young to drink, too young to truly understand the fight they have been engaged in unwittingly. They have not asked for this battle, they wouldn't choose it knowingly. They fight. Without fighting, they die. I hope, I pray, I struggle on so one day, hopefully one day soon, this battle is won. For Sydney and those who came before her and those who will come after her, we will continue to fight. 

We are going to, once again, raise money for our Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation team, Sydney's Soldiers. Please pass the word around and in the next couple weeks I will have our page ready for donations. It's hard to think about the kids that have passed on since last year at this time because of their Type 1 Diabetes. This disease kills. We need a cure. I don't know where we will be next year at this time but we keep putting one foot in front of the other until we can say that Sydney USED to have Type 1 Diabetes. Thank you.

What's Special About a Hero?

D-Blog Day 7--Diabetes Hero

Let’s end our week on a high note and blog about our “Diabetes Hero”.  It can be anyone you’d like to recognize or admire, someone you know personally or not, someone with diabetes or maybe a Type 3.  It might be a fabulous endo or CDE.  It could be a d-celebrity or role-model.  It could be another DOC member.  It’s up to you – who is your Diabetes Hero??

This is a picture I have hanging in my home.  It defines a hero.  A hero is courageous, bold, and persevering. They have superior qualities for their good deeds of any kind.  A real hero is someone who does the right thing when no one else is looking. 

Sydney was dx with Type 1 Diabetes at age 4. She never let her disease slow her down. I wish I could say the same for me.  Her diagnosis completely blindsided me and I didn't handle it in stride like Sydney did. I wanted to fight against the diagnosis. I cried so much. I felt depressed from the overwhelming nature of the disease. The learning curve gives no time to make mistakes...but we made them anyway. Sydney patiently waited while we learned the ropes. She has her ups and her downs but she handles it. She is facing a lifetime with this disease. She faces many challenges and potential side effects that are scary for an adult...I can't imagine how it is for Sydney. 

Dear Sydney,

 I know you get scared at times. That's ok. It's a scary disease. I know it hurts. That's ok, shots can sometimes hurt. Sometimes you feel bad for crying. But crying is ok--God gave us that ability for a reason. Sydney, I know you get frustrated when your numbers are hard to manage. That's ok. You have parents who love you and we want to carry as much of your frustrations as we can. We want you to be as normal of a kid as possible. Don't feel bad passing the burden onto us. 


 I hope I always get to watch you jumping on the tramp and running through the sprinkler--that means you still have your legs. I love watching you laugh at your baby sister and meticulously color a beautiful picture or watch you point out beautiful things in nature --that means your eyes still work. I'm willing to give up sleeping through the night--while the world sleeps--so I can check your blood sugar--that means your heart is still beating.  Always remember you have a family who loves you and will always love you. You are an inspiration to so many people who have grown to love and admire you. I wish love could cure you--if that were possible, you would have been cured years ago.  But, until a cure is found, we will continue to do our part to keep you healthy and let you be a free-spirited kid with as few worries as possible.  And, through it all, you will continue to be our little hero.

With love forever and ever,

Mom and Dad

Day 6--I can't believe I haven't missed a day!

D-Blog Day 6--Saturday Snapshots!

Today, Karen from Bitter-Sweet Diabetes gave a great topic to write about. Back for the third year, let’s show everyone what life with diabetes looks like!  With a nod to the Diabetes 365 project, let’s grab our cameras again and share some more d-related pictures.  Post as many or as few as you’d like.  Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures, or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves.

How can I best accomplish the task from above? I think the best/easiest way to get the message across would be to put below some of the videos I've made...and re-share one I didn't make. Please take a few minutes to view them and educate yourself on the day in the life of us, the L family. 

Sydney's Walk Video--this video has been used by our JDRF chapter for 3 years now. They play it at all their corporate events and to potential corporate sponsors. I'm pretty proud of the videos I make and I hope you enjoy them too!

This next video was the first one I ever made. I really like the music played in this one. I actually spent hours coordinating which picture I wanted to correlated with specific lyrics from the songs. Again, enjoy!

This is one more video I made a couple years ago to the theme song from "Cheers." One of the best things about a diabetes online community is that we get to meet  and commiserate with other parents who really, truly "get it."  Sometimes we just wanna go where everybody knows our name. And our struggles. And our successes. 

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

This final video I have shared several times in the last couple weeks. If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, now is your opportunity! You can read the lyrics below if there are parts you didn't understand!  And, feel free to share any items you find education, touching, or entertaining from my blog.

 

The Type 1 Mom Song

Get up now, get up now. You look pale to me.

Check it now, check it now. We will have to see.

Are you high? Are you low? Do you have to eat?

Check it now! Do you have to pee?

Get your clothes. Are you wearing that?

Wash your face. Brush your teeth. Where’s your homework at?

Pack your lunch so you don’t have to eat school crap.

Don’t roll your eyes at me like that.

Quick eat so we will have the time to calculate the carbs.

Take your bolus so that you will not go high and have to check ketones.

Remember that the endo is expecting you today at three.

We will get the good mommy test grade they like to call your A1C.

Don’t panic, I’m sure that your log book is here somewhere.

It just can't grow legs and jump up and disappear.

Have you changed your needle since last week?

I swear to your dad I will have to speak. Don’t forget to check before you eat.

How many carbs are in that treat? 

Where’s the work you missed at school today?

Why not? What’s the problem? What did she say?

I’ll laminate that 504 and nail that sucker to your teacher’s door!

Don’t test my patience. I’m sleep deprived.

I have no life. Can’t recall my last vacation.

So I’ve closed the kitchen for the night.

It’s restaurant food. No carb counts. Hope I guess it right.

Grab your ball and skates it’s time to go

So we might be on time for once.

Get a juice and a snack so you don’t go low. Exercise is good you know.

Kick it hard. Jump high. What an awesome catch.

Strips and meter I will fetch. Check it quick so that you get right back

Knowing your number’s on track. Each day is a blessing. 

I give thanks for you being mine. The challenges are many. We will overcome in time.

Get your shower and your pump shirt on so we don’t have an incident. 

We can’t afford to repeat last years pump in the toilet accident.

Brush your hair, brush your teeth. Get your pj’s on.

Take your blood sugar now. Let’s see what wrong.

Have a juice. Take seat. Get a cold washcloth.

Get a-HEY DON'T YOU PASS OUT ON ME! Stay still until your 103.

Have a root beer, twizzlers, cupcakes, snow cone,

Snickers, juice or milkshakes. So if all your friends

Ate a thousand carbs you’d eat them too! 

If I’ve said it once

I’ve said at least a million times that we’ll get through all this!

I’m proud of how you handle it. How are your supplies at school? Do you have strips? Needles too?

What! We’re out of strips! Where is the Walgreens that’s open nights?

I’ll be right back, make sure your homework’s done and in your pack.

Get in bed. Get a hug and kiss goodnight. I’ll check you at midnight.

Don’t forget, I love you. And today we will repeat again for sure

Everday until a cure. You can help us find the cure.

Give now. Give now. Give now. Give now.

We thank you. We thank you. We thank you. We thank you.

Find the cure. The cure. The cure. The cure. The cure! The cure.

Day 5--What they should know?

D-Blog Day 5---What "they" should know:

Today let’s borrow a topic from an online chat that occurred last September.  The tweet asked “What is one thing you would tell someone that doesn’t have diabetes about living with diabetes?”.  Let’s do a little advocating and post what we wish people knew about diabetes.  Have more than one thing you wish people knew?  Go ahead and tell us everything.


Wow...how to begin? This is something that all T1 parents think about regularly because we are always hearing things that are bothersome. Sometimes it takes a mini chant in my head to help me keep my cool..."They just don't know. They just don't know. They just don't know. They just don't know."  I suppose the best way to make this post the most readable with the most information is to make 2 lists and each list has my top 5 picks. The first are common misconceptions we hear on a regular basis and and 2nd lists simple facts that I want people to understand. And, despite these aggravating moments, think about the people whose mindsets have changed because of YOU! Friends. Family. Co-workers. Teachers. Principals. Medical personnel. It happens one person at a time. And, as a group, we have moved mountains with the people we have taught. It's a slow process but, together, we can continue to move those mountains! :) 


Shamae's list of top 3 annoying misconceptions T1 Parents hear over and over...


1--Oh was she overweight when she was diagnosed then and losing weight should fix her diabetes right?


2--Wow, how much sugar did she have to cause diabetes in a 4 year old?


3--But she is going to outgrow it, right?


4--Hey your kid is eating a cookie--or cake, or candy, or anything sweet--, are you sure they can eat that? (In my head I always think, "yes stranger, you sure do know more about what my T1 kid can have even though this is a disease you know nothing about....but sure, you know more than I, her MOM, does." :-)


5--So does she have the "bad" kind of diabetes? (I wasn't aware there was a good kind?) Cause my <> has diabetes. They got it when they were older and I know their dr told them to eat better and lose weight and their diabetes could go away. So have you tried that? (Yes, at dx I had a 27 lb 4 1/2 year old. She was already very underweight but sure, why didn't I try starving her longer and see if that did the trick?) Ai yi yi! 


Shamae's list of top 3 T1 facts that I wish everyone and their pets knew...


1--Diet/exercise/weight have NOTHING AT ALL to do with a Type 1 dx. While it usually plays a part in a Type 2 dx, it has never and will never be a part of why a person gets Type 1. A T1 person will have lost weight and generally is underweight at dx because their body is starving to death. Insulin is the middle man that takes sugar from the bloodstream and feeds all the cells in the body. When insulin isn't produced, the sugar builds up in the bloodstream and the cells start starving...causing weight loss. Without insulin a T1 patient will, without question, die. 


2--Neither Sydney nor us did anything to make her body develop T1 Diabetes. She did not eat too many sweets. She did not have too much juice. She did not have too much Halloween candy. No food, snack, treat, candy, or beverage is the reason behind a T1 dx. A friend made a video a few years ago and in it she says, "There are only 2 things my daughter cannot eat. 1: poison. 2: cookies........that are made with poison." haha it makes me laugh. What we do know about T1 is that there is a genetic predisposition and some type of environmental trigger (the triggers are still unknown). Once the trigger is triggered, there is no turning back. There is no way to reverse T1. There is no way to cure T1. Insulin is not a cure; it's life support. 


3--Although Sydney has a tough road ahead, she is still able to enjoy the things that non-diabetics can enjoy.  She can do anything she wants and be anything she wants--with the exception of a couple professions that don't allow T1 Diabetics due to the dangerous side effects that would potentially harm other people. Yes she needs to be more careful with some things and pay more attention to how she feels and what she eats but she still has a world of opportunities out there for her. She has grown up fast and practices more responsibility than the average 8 year old but she also has the opportunity to have more compassion for humanity. :) 


A good rule of thumb for everyone to follow--and this goes for anything, not just T1D--if you don't understand something or if it's a subject you don't know anything about, don't just guess or spout off with random thoughts. Don't guess...ASK! Don't make comments like those in my first list. ASK the parent to briefly explain. Chances are, the parent will be thrilled with getting to explain the facts instead of trying to correct the fallacies. :) And, to understand a day in the life of a T1 parent, watch the video below. And, you are in for a real treat cause I've posted the lyrics below the video in case there are lines you missed. :) 

The Type 1 Mom Song

Get up now, get up now. You look pale to me.

Check it now, check it now. We will have to see.

Are you high? Are you low? Do you have to eat?

Check it now! Do you have to pee?

Get your clothes. Are you wearing that?

Wash your face. Brush your teeth. Where’s your homework at?

Pack your lunch so you don’t have to eat school crap.

Don’t roll your eyes at me like that.

Quick eat so we will have the time to calculate the carbs.

Take your bolus so that you will not go high and have to check ketones.

Remember that the endo is expecting you today at three.

We will get the good mommy test grade they like to call your A1C.

Don’t panic, I’m sure that your log book is here somewhere.

It just can't grow legs and jump up and disappear.

Have you changed your needle since last week?

I swear to your dad I will have to speak. Don’t forget to check before you eat.

How many carbs are in that treat? 

Where’s the work you missed at school today?

Why not? What’s the problem? What did she say?

I’ll laminate that 504 and nail that sucker to your teacher’s door!

Don’t test my patience. I’m sleep deprived.

I have no life. Can’t recall my last vacation.

So I’ve closed the kitchen for the night.

It’s restaurant food. No carb counts. Hope I guess it right.

Grab your ball and skates it’s time to go

So we might be on time for once.

Get a juice and a snack so you don’t go low. Exercise is good you know.

Kick it hard. Jump high. What an awesome catch.

Strips and meter I will fetch. Check it quick so that you get right back

Knowing your number’s on track. Each day is a blessing. 

I give thanks for you being mine. The challenges are many. We will overcome in time.

Get your shower and your pump shirt on so we don’t have an incident. 

We can’t afford to repeat last years pump in the toilet accident.

Brush your hair, brush your teeth. Get your pj’s on.

Take your blood sugar now. Let’s see what wrong.

Have a juice. Take seat. Get a cold washcloth.

Get a-HEY DON'T YOU PASS OUT ON ME! Stay still until your 103.

Have a root beer, twizzlers, cupcakes, snow cone,

Snickers, juice or milkshakes. So if all your friends

Ate a thousand carbs you’d eat them too! 

If I’ve said it once

I’ve said at least a million times that we’ll get through all this!

I’m proud of how you handle it. How are your supplies at school? Do you have strips? Needles too?

What! We’re out of strips! Where is the Walgreens that’s open nights?

I’ll be right back, make sure your homework’s done and in your pack.

Get in bed. Get a hug and kiss goodnight. I’ll check you at midnight.

Don’t forget, I love you. And today we will repeat again for sure

Everday until a cure. You can help us find the cure.

Give now. Give now. Give now. Give now.

We thank you. We thank you. We thank you. We thank you.

Find the cure. The cure. The cure. The cure. The cure! The cure.