Feeling BLUE at the News

It is with GREAT sadness that we received a notice from Alexis late tonight announcing her intention of stepping aside from the operations of The Blue Heel Society.  Her schedule with other projects and diabetes related causes, along with her personal commitment to her entire family has forced Alexis to re-evaluate her priorities.  We admire those selfless values.

Alexis is a tremendous, passionate advocate, and very active in the DOC.  We appreciate, beyond words, the time she had devoted to building The Blue Heel Society, especially in the early months.

We here at The Blue Heel Society would like thank Alexis, from the bottom of our hearts, for the tremendous and Bluetiful job she has done for us.  All of us here are in her debt, better people for knowing her, and wish her all the success and good fortune that she deserves in the future.

You can visit Alexis at her own blog entitled Justice's Misbehaving Pancreas, or look for guest posts from her to be posted here from time to time.

Thanks again Alexis!!

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 03/25/2012

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', where we share with all of you, some of what goes on as The BHS grows.

This week’s 'Behind the Blue Scenes' we ask you to be on the lookout for more information about BHS custom made Shoe[s]. We are in the third phase of discussions with an Organization that makes very high quality (And VERY pretty) Shoes, and hope to offer more information in the coming weeks.

Kristen Elise honored the BHS by creating a JDRF Walk Team, and in her words “Yes my Walk team this year is Blue Heel Society...everyone please join in. I created this team to help promote this awesome advocacy group that some awesome chicks and dude founded. Locals please join this team and walk with me....I dont want to be walking alone, diabetes or not you can help...will be walking together in October in Blue shoes (heels will be awesome but optional--I totally understand if you cant do it because I cant either). Anyone can donate to the team. Lets raise awareness and spread the word of the Blue Heel Society. “ Please visit her Walk page here and show your support of Kristen (And the BHS!).

Please join us in wishing Dr. Dyer a.k.a. The EndoGoddess our very best for the  Kids App Entry in the Sanofi Diabetes Innovation Challenge! Our collective Fingers are crossed, and she will find out the Finalists March 30th.

This coming week look for some VERY special Guest post’s from some of our favorite Bloggers!  


Make sure and visit our CEO/Co-Founder Tony Cervati at Type1Rider as BIG things are taking place and NEW features being added that will continue to amaze you, as Tony proves daily that anyone can do the impossible no matter what obstacles we face.

We close this weeks editiion of 'Behind the Blue Scenes' with not just A song, but OUR Song, courtesy of Allen Talbott & his Band, entitled “Blue Shoe Blues”, and the lyrics he has crafted to date. Feel free to sing along & send us a video of your awesome talents at 187c@blueheelsociety.org

Click here to listen to 'Blue Shoe Blues' 

"Sometimes I'm high, Sometimes I'm low

I've been chasing these numbers, how long now I don't know

Every shot to my gut is life in my heart

Everyday I wake up to a brand new start

I put on my Blue Shoes and I can walk away from these blues

I'm a red-blooded man, my back is strong

I like to eat some greens, and I like to pick a few songs

I know life ain't black and white, we all live in shades of grey

But blue is my color, that's where I'm gonna stay

I put on my blue shoes and I can walk away from these blues

Life keeps on moving, mine is flowing through a needle

But you can keep your sympathies, Lord knows I don't need 'em

I need a cure, an answer, I need a reason

why so many are waiting, I'm begging and I'm pleading

Put on our blue shoes and we can walk away from these blues"

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 03/18/2012

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', where we share with all of you, some of what goes on as The BHS grows.

The BHS celebrated our four month Birthday this past week. Being so young, many of our Projects & Initiatives are still in the incubation stage, and those that will be the first to be unveiled are also the one's that will help determine the future of what is to be. We are working our blue little fingers very hard, to begin implementing these stepping stones to the future.

We also are doing everything possible to ensure what we do bring to you is what YOU ask for, and in an error free, and timely manner. This also means that sometimes priority's will change and therefore dictate what you see, ALWAYS keeping our vision set on our Message and Mission.

We started a new Feature on our Blog this past week called Blue Heel Fashion Corner , where our very own CCO Jen brings you the latest and greatest in what’s trending in fashion Blueness.

Thanks to the generosity of the Developers of our BHS Fan Of The Week (FOTW) Application, we have a full working version of their Top Fan Application that allows us to showcase our Bluetiful peeps, based on multiple interaction factors on our Facebook Page.

This weeks Fan of the Week (FOTW) is Pam Machefsky, and we asked Ms. Machefsky to answer a few questions as to learn a little more about her, and you can read them here  

You can also show your support of the Blue Heel Society by adding a BHS Badge to your Facebook Profile! Click the 'BHSBadge' App on our Facebook Page (or click here), and follow the QUICK & EASY steps to add & share the Blueness. For more information on our Logo & how you and/or your Organization can use the Logo in your awareness efforts, please visit our Logo guidelines page here.

We close this weeks edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes' with an invitation to visit our CEO/Co-Founder Tony Cervati at Type1Rider as BIG things are taking place and NEW features being added that will continue to amaze you, as Tony proves daily that anyone can do the impossible no matter what obstacles we face.

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 03/04/2012

We interrupt this Week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', as the BHS Family was saddened to hear of the latest plight of the Schuhmacher Family. Please join us, as we join others around the World, to pray for hope & miracles on this designated Day of prayer. You can also help by Donating here

From the Schuhmacher's: "Please join us in continuing to pray for Ryan, especially Sunday as we fast and pray for our miracle. God bless each and every one of you who have prayed and continue to pray on our behalf. It is appreciated more than you'll ever know.

We believe in a loving Heavenly Father. We believe in miracles. 

~Meri and Ryan Schuhmacher, and Boys"

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 02/26/2012

Click the Play button to listen

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', where we share with all of you, some of what goes on as The BHS grows.

Congrats to our Facebook Fan Of The Week Diane Wrona Irvin! Thanks for being a Bluetiful part of the BHS!

We are tickled BLUE to see the most popular item on our Facebook Page  for the week was our newly introduced BHS Fan Marquee. Since YOU are the reason we do what we do, it makes us quite happy to be able to showcase how & why you interact with us, and give everyone a chance to be showcased. It is also a great way for us to see what you do (and don’t) like about what you see.

Another one of the top item’s were exercise related, as our friends at ‘Discuss Diabetes’ ask’s What’s your favorite way to exercise indoors? & the folks at Diabetes Care reported that Weight Loss Can be Contagious according to a Study.

If you can’t excersize indoors and need to do so outdoors, there is a service that was very popular that we shared called Type 1 Sitters that say’s “ Having Type 1 Diabetes is hard, but finding a babysitter in your area to take care of your Type 1 child is even harder”.

Another popular item as we shared was that Sanofi US launched the ‘2012 Data Design Diabetes Innovation Challenge’  where they seek to help “Improve the outcomes and/or experience of caregivers, family/friends, healthcare providers and/or people living with diabetes in the US.”

You also showed great interest in our Sister Organization Type1Rider.org, where our CEO/Co-Founder Tony Cervati is featured in a Pre-Trailer for 'Type1Rider the Film'  If you haven’t checked this out yet it is a MUST SEE!

This coming week we will unveil the first Component of our ‘Shoebox’, the Application to become a BHS ‘Chapter Luminary’, so we can start mobilizing all of our wonderful peeps that have indicated they are ready. This is also the first & most important step for the BHS to start internally planning where & when our “Shoeins” will occur.

Finally & the most exciting thing to keep your eyes open for is the very first Guest Blog post by our dear friend Lizmari M. Collazo. Lets just say that Lizmari will bring you back in time in joy, as she also shares that she is also a “Blue Heeled Wearing Diva”. It is also one of THE most POWERFUL things you will ever have the pleasure of experiencing. The post will be published early tomorrow morning, so stay tuned.

Get ready for an EXCITING Week coming up & keep on being as BLUETIFUL as can be!

Tom Moore
Chief Shoehorn Tooter

p.s. ALWAYS looking for input & suggestions from YOU. Please send me an email & we may include your idea in our Weekly 'Behind the Blue Scenes'.

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 02/19/2012

Click here to listen: Blue Shoe Blues by Jive Creek Ramblers

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', where we share with all of you, some of what goes on as The BHS grows.

As we celebrated our Happy 3 Month Birthday to the BHS! & Valentines Day we realized as we sat down to write this Post, that we had another BUSY & BLUETIFUL Week! 

We were entertained, to say the least, by Allen Tallbott & the Jive Creek Ramblers as they dedicated the "Blue Shoe Blues" to all of the BHS'ers (And some special love at the end of the Tune). How COOL is this!

We were very pleased to announce that Jen Hamilton Loving will be functioning in the critical role of our Chief Content Officer. Jen is very well known within the Diabetes Online Community, and has first hand experience with diabetes as her 11 years old daughter was dx'd Type 1 at the age of 4.  Jen currently works as the Chair of The Family Outreach at her local JDRF chapter & much more. You can read all about her here & find out how to contact Jen directly with any & all ideas you may have related to Content.  

We were humbled, honored, and blushing in BLUE, over the love shown by Sanofi US on the Article "How Grassroots Diabetes Efforts Support Community Growth" on the Discuss Diabetes™ Blog presented by Sanofi US, a leader in the discovery and development of innovative diabetes products, as part of their commitment to help improve the lives of people with diabetes. And as they state   "Blogging isn’t easy for a healthcare company"   and the BHS feels that Sanofi US is a LEADER in bridging the gap in Consumer relations, as demonstrated by Discuss Diabetes™ .

We are SO happy to announce that our very dear friend Lizmari M. Collazo, will be honoring all of us with a Guest Blog post from time to time, so stay tuned for that and make sure and visit her Blog where she is “Challenging the Status Quo of Living with Type 2 Diabetes“. You can also follow her journey as “The Angry Type 2 Diabetic” on Facebook .

We are very excited for Dr. Dyer a.k.a. The EndoGoddess, LLC as she will be going to the White House  to discuss diabetes in the Hispanic community at the National Hispanic Medical Association 16th Annual Conference. Read more about that on her Blog 

We close this week’s segment with THE most important part of why we do, what we do...YOU, our Bluetiful Peeps! Our Facebook Page is sporting some NEW additions, as we have been so graciously gifted full Versions, by the Developer, of what we are calling our “BHS Fan Marquee”   & “BHS Fan Of The Week", where we showcase some of what YOU are saying & doing as you interact with us on Facebook. If you or anyone you know have a Facebook Fan page, these are MUST have Apps for growing your Fan base & and MUCH more. Please visit them here & tell them that the BHS sent you!

Get ready for an EXCITING Week coming up & keep on being as BLUETIFUL as can be!

Tom Moore

Chief Shoehorn Tooter

p.s. ALWAYS looking for input & suggestions from YOU. Please send me an email & we may include your idea in our Weekly 'Behind the Blue Scenes'.

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 02/05/2012

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', where we share with all of you, some of what goes on as The BHS grows.

We are thrilled to announce, with many more details to follow in the coming day's, that the kind folks at Fotobabble have given us complete access to their GREAT Products & Services. They have a VERY dedicated Team striving to bring the very best to everything they do, including working with nonprofit organizations striving to make this world a better place.

Fotobabble is an ingenious way to add audio to ANY picture you have from many different online services we all use daily, upload from your computer, AND a FREE Iphone App. We will be incorporating Fotobabble into many area's and we URGE you to visit their Website and create your very own Fotobabble's that can be shared everywhere you visit online, most importantly on the BHS  Facebook Page.

One of our Twitter followers demonstrated one of the things we are so proud of. In an Airport she happened upon someone in Blue Heels and shared the Pic  In that millisecond it took to snap the pic, the whole time knowing that it represented more than just a Blue Shoe. All of us can do the same and is a perfect *fit* for using Fotobabble. See the Shoe...think of BHS...post a Fotobabble!

Our very own Alexis was featured on a  Podcast with Tony Rose from Blogging Diabetes and as always Alexis WOW's & ROCKS the interview with her passion & drive that we all know & love.

We were just tickled BLUE beyond words to be shown some LOVE from Kerri Sparling at Six Until Me (SUM) in her Blog post  What We Document.: Solving for "Why." Make sure and visit her Blog and be AMAZED at all Kerri does & tell her we sent you!

Our Facebook Fan Of The Week (chosen at random by computer magic based on interaction) is  Moira McCarthy Stanford. Moira is one of the BIGGEST & BEST diabetes advocates you will ever know. She is an accomplished writer & blogger, and make sure and visit her Blog "DespiteDiabetes".  Our Facebook Fan Of The Week get's a FREE copy of the EndoGoddess App, available on Android as well as Itunes,.and also get’s mentioned in the 'Behind the Blue Scenes' Post, as well as bragging rights for being an AWESOME member of the BHS!

Final touches being put on our *Shoebox* for applications to become a Chapter Luminary. Keep checking our Blog for details as we give you all you need to bring the BHS into your Community.

Get ready for an EXCITING Week coming up & keep on being as BLUETIFUL as can be!

Thanks,
The BHS Team

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 01/29/2012

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', where we share with all of you, some of what goes on as The BHS grows.

THIS JUST IN...Dr. Dyer, a.k.a. The EndoGoddess not only graced us with her very first Blog post this week, but also announced the availability of her EndoGoddess App, on Android as well as Itunes. Remember that every week our Fan Of The Week, chosen randomly by computer magic based on participation on our Facebook Page, get's a FREE copy of her App!

Our Bluetiful peeps just keep on amazing us as you show that no matter what may ail us & bring us together, we can still transcend it all & still walk the talk in a fun and uplifting way. As we do this together, you are asking us HOW you can bring the BHS into your community. 

As we put the finishing touches on the BHS "Shoebox" we have also made our Logo available for use in awareness efforts. You can view the details on the 'Our Logo' Page on our Website. Stay tuned for the 'Shoebox' Tab coming soon!

As we look forward to a new Week, we ask you to think of photos in a whole new way...more to follow soon!

Keep on stompin BHS'ers as we continue to take it to the next level!

'Behind the Blue Scenes' Week ending 01/22/2012

Welcome to this week's edition of 'Behind the Blue Scenes', where we share with all of you, some of what goes on as The BHS grows.

This past week we celebrated the Birthday of Dr. King. As he once said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." That pretty much sums up our efforts, as we begin to see the staircase more clearly each day. As we see things more clearly internally, it also means the ideas & concepts we *talk* about, have a clearer path defined as we all grow together in way's we could not have dreamed of,  but are certainly humbled by.

We added some features to our Facebook Page that allow you to add a Blue Heel Society Badge to your profile pic. We also enjoyed our Co-Founder Alexis, on DSMA on Blog Talk Radio & DSMA Live, as she *SHINED* brightly as always.

We can also share our excitement of the upcoming SPECIAL Blog post by Dr. Dyer, a.k.a. The EndoGoddess Stay tuned for that! Dr. Dyer has been kind enough to give a FREE copy of her EndoGoddess App, available on Itunes, to the person that get's chosen as our Fan Of The Week

We need your help in the continued effort to spread the word about The BHS into your circle of friends, both online and in your everyday life. You have taken that first step by being an all inclusive part of all we build, and all we do in the future. We need body's to take the Message & Mission of The BHS to the next level...TRUE grassroots activism.

The best part is our task is well defined and we have all taken that "first step" as Dr. King said, and the 377,581 Bluetiful people we have reached on Facebook, coming from  20 different Countries, speaking 10 languages, ALL speak FOR the same purpose.

Diabetes does not discriminate, it speaks every language, it lives everywhere. Let us also remind diabetes that because WE are everywhere...we know where you are...LOOK OUT!

Keep on stompin BHS'ers as we take it to the next level!

Never know what's in that "Shoe box"....

This was in my inbox tonight.....from a real person.....with a real desire to see a change in the way people who live with diabetes are treated. It was part of a composition paper....and I am putting it here...because it touched me this much. Love, Diane

"The mission of the Blue Heel Society is to advocate, raise awareness, encourage and support those living with diabetes, caring for someone with diabetes and those interested in learning about diabetes. These goals are accomplished through "fueling our crusade with the strength, dedication, and passion of our partners." (Blue Heel Society, 2011) The Blue Heel Society carries out their mission to "deliver a clear and united voice" through assemblies and gatherings both local and national to help "dispel myths, offer education and to champion the needs of people affected by diabetes." (Blue Heel Society, 2011)

An amulet is "a small object worn to ward of evil, harm, or illness or to bring good fortune." (Dictionary.com Unabridged 2011) For me and my family, that is exactly what the Blue Heel Society is. By donning my blue heels or my blue converse sneakers, I am uniting myself with hundreds of others who share the same passion I do. The passion to advocate. The good fortune I receive from this groups is the support and encouragement I need to advocate not only for my children but for all those who are affected by diabetes.

One of the most wonderful aspects of the Blue Heel Society is the fact that anyone can join the cause. It is as simple as putting on your favorite pair of fabulous, blue shoes. It doesn't cost any money, it doesn't require much time, all it asks is for your passion. It is amazingly simple but extremely rewarding. Simply visit their website, click the "like" button, put on you favorite pair of blue shoes and let the advocacy begin!"


That is why I talk about diabetes. THIS. It is a real disease....with real consequences. And when a person can find a way to have a real affect and evoke real change....well, you join them. And put on a Blue Shoe.

It's our *Birthday*...who's the "shoe" guy??

What a fabulous BLUE month it has been.  BLUE analogies.  BLUE posts.  BLUE tweets. BLUE SHOES!!

This morning, our impromptu "one month" birthday celebration occurred with much fanfare.  We were delighted with retweets, links posted to our social networking sights, mentions about our blog, and, of course, YOU, the backbone of the Blue Heel Society all standing there *clicking* your heels.

With over 740 members in four short weeks, we are humbled that an idea formed on the eve on WDD resonated and struct a cord with so many people, for all the right reasons.  "

"A blue shoe for every foot!!"  We say....

We kid.  You can have them both. ;)

We are earmarking our birthday by welcoming our friend Thomas Moore to our ever expanding Society.

Thomas brings vast experience in the area of social media marketing and so much more.....Thomas is well known in the DOC and has 17 plus years dealing with the ins and outs of Diabetes.......please take a moment to welcome him with the same love and respect as you have so graciously extended us....as we intend to expound upon his duties in the coming weeks.

You can personally welcome him at Thomas@BlueHeelSociety.org.

It is hard to contain the excitement and enthusiasm from just bubbling over when people like Thomas and YOU continue to encourage growth and development in such a monumental way.  It was suggested that Mr. Moore acquire himself some Blue knee high "KISS" rocker boots.

We concur.

Looking ahead, the Blue Heel Society will be a flurry of activity.  We will be positing about our scheduled meet ups, our "Shoe Ins", contests, and so much more....all while continuing to raise awareness of diabetes as a disease.

With class and dignity.

In style.

Natch, lambs.