In Other People's Hands

I met a woman the other day who was an occasional substitute nurse at the middle school.  While this was the first time we'd met, she knew my daughter well.  There are others like her.

I have sent my child to school, on field trips, to birthday parties, to marching band camp and more.  The older she gets, the more people we collect who've helped her with her diabetes care. Some I know well, some I've been introduced to, and some I've never met.

I wonder if the people in whose hands I've left her fully understand how I feel about them.

These people have taken my child's life in their hands. Maybe they don't realize that, or look at it that way. I certainly wasn't going to point it out in quite those terms to the preschool director who agreed to accept her into the program. Those weren't the words I used when I thanked the parents who invited her for her first sleepover. But these, and many more adults, have been aware that having my daughter in their class, in their home, or in their field trip group necessitated an extra level of responsibility and vigilance.

If taking on that level of responsibility wasn't enough, these people have, quite often, gone above and beyond what I would have expected. Parents have contacted the birthday party venue for carbohydrate counts on food. Teachers have requested to be glucagon trained for my child's safety. Chaperones have sat with her while she stopped to check her blood sugar. Guidance counselors have called about 504 accommodations I never would have considered. Nurses have called just to reassure me that everything was okay. I'm incredibly grateful for every one of these thoughtful acts.

Being the parent of a kid with diabetes is a huge job. Being a kid with diabetes is an endless challenge. We're incredibly grateful for the people who step in to ease the burden in whatever ways they can.

Why Am I Doing This Anyway?

Message Monday - Monday 5/16 Lets kick off the week by talking about why we are here, in the diabetes blog space. What is the most important diabetes awareness message to you? Why is that message important for you, and what are you trying to accomplish by sharing it on your blog? (Thank you, Heather Gabel, for this topic suggestion.)

A half a mile into a windy and drizzly JDRF Walk my two year old daughter turned around in her stroller and asked, "why are we doing this anyway?" 

"To raise money to help people find ways to make having diabetes easier and to eventually make it so people don't have diabetes at all anymore," I replied.

Satisfied, she turned back around and enjoyed the overhang feature of her stroller which was keeping her dry.

Her question still rings in my head in a variety of circumstances. When engaged in any endeavor, either as an individual or as part of a group or organization, it's important to know, 'why are we doing this anyway.'  Essentially, today's diabetes blog week topic translated in my head to, 'why are you writing this blog anyway?'

The answer is similar to the one I gave my daughter about the JDRF walk.  While I can't cure diabetes with a blog, I hope I can make it easier.  Difficult situations are easier when there is someone to share the journey with.  The best people to share a difficult journey with are often those who've been there before.  Not everyone has a collection of people in their neighborhood who are also raising kids with diabetes.  Even those who spend time with others in the same boat may be looking for alternate perspectives and ideas. 

That's why I'm doing this.  The 'diabetes awareness message,' as the prompt calls it, that I'm trying to get out there is, 'you're not alone.'  See also, 'I'm not alone.'

While I sometimes write about advocacy issues and current diabetes-related events, I mostly try to share everyday stories about our everyday life with diabetes.  More specifically, I write stories about a girl between the ages of 9 and14 and her parents, with occasional flashbacks to the earlier years. These are stories about school, hanging out with friends, what we had for dinner, vacations, afterschool activities, and stuffed animals. These are stories about how diabetes factors into the every day life of a kid and her family.  I write because I hope someone out there is nodding her head and saying, 'me too.'  I write because I hope someone out there is scratching his head and saying, 'I never thought about it that way.'  I write because it makes me feel less alone on this journey too.

For other bloggers' thoughts on why they are doing this anyway, click here!