Day 6: Quote, End Quote. Post.

Today's challenge is to find someone else's words to inspire me.

I found:

"Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter" - Dan Reeves

Wow! How true is this?!? I need to write this down and post it all over my house. How often do we find ourselves feeling bitter over our own or our child's diagnosis? Feeling bitter over what life has dealt us? Feeling bitter over the "why me?" mentality? Every so often I go down this road but really it doesn't do anything for me. It doesn't change the situation that I have three kids with chronic illnesses (2-have T1D and 1-has Hemophilia). It doesn't put more money into my bank account. It doesn't give me more coverage on our health insurance. It doesn't ease my mind.

So, I take my bitterness and channel it into a "when life gives you lemons; make some damn sweet lemonade!" I advocate like crazy. I'll get in anyone's face (Congressmen included) to talk about my kids illnesses. I find ways to let the public know about these diseases. Because the more people know, by creating awareness, the better chances we have, as a chronic illness community, to get money to fund research and find a cure! Does doing all this make their chronic conditions go away? Does it make my kids living with this disease any better? NO! But it's more proactive than sitting in a corner, crying, "WHY ME"!

I plead with you to think about this quote if you are feeling bitter. What one change can you make to take your chronic illness and make it better?

Gwen's Diabetes Fairytale

Day 5 Post: Once Upon a Time...write a story about your community as though you are a children's author. 

ENJOY!!

This is Gwen. She has Type 1 diabetes or T1D.

Type 1 diabetes means your pancreas doesn't work.

Gwen needs to take her blood sugar every 3 hours or more.

She also needs to take insulin in a syringe or an insulin pump.

Sometimes Gwen feels sad because she needs to stop in the middle of having fun to test her blood sugar.

Her mom finds other people with T1D online who go through the same things she goes through. This is the diabetes online community or the D.O.C.

Gwen's mom finds a mom in the D.O.C. whose daughter has T1D too and is her age!! They exchange emails and chat because they live miles away from each other. 

Gwen and her mom find they can go to the D.O.C. whenever they need help, have a question or want to share diabetes related things. This makes Gwen and her mom happy!

Gwen wants all T1 kids to know they are NOT alone!! You can find many friends and support with the D.O.C.!