The Biggest Loser

Confession time...I am a reality show junkie. Ok, maybe not a junkie, but borderline obsessed with a few shows.



One of those shows that I love and never miss an episode of is The Biggest Loser, I love it. I cry during every episode, their stories are inspiring, they motivate me to try to take better care of my own health and, I'll be honest here...I do love the drama.



Last night I sat down in front of my tv after putting my girls to bed, anticipating another great episode and then...WTH?!? Did Dr. H just say what I think he said?!? I was one mad mama pancreas last night.



Dr. H. brought in each contestant one by one to give them the low down on how bad their health had become due to their obesity...here's where the mad mama pancreas part comes in. While talking to one of the men on the show he begins to talk to him about his diabetes. He asks doctor H. if this is reversible and do you want to know what Dr. H. said???



"Diabetes is curable, but you can't cure diabetes when you've got this amount of fat".



That's it....not type 2, just diabetes.



Now some people may ask, why are you so bent out of shape about that comment? Well, for me I feel that it's just one more tv doctor spreading miss-information. Ok, so type 2 diabetes can be "cured" with diet and exercise, as Dr. H. explains while he points to a big tv screen with a picture of this mans stomach. I feel that when a broad statement such as "Diabetes is curable" is announced on a tv show that millions of people are watching it only hurts those of us who are trying to raise not only awareness about type 1 diabetes but also trying to raise money to help fund research to find a cure for type 1 diabetes!



True story here...



My first year of raising money towards JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes, I had a friend collecting donations for our team. One of the people she was talking to about our efforts asked, "Why should I donate to that? They should just eat better". WTH?!? EAT BETTER!!! I wish that were all we needed to do to cure type 1 diabetes! This is where I feel that many people are miss-informed or simply know nothing about the disease and when we start having celebrity doctors only adding to the confusion it makes me wanna scream at the tv!


I know that the intentions of this show are to help people...and they are, they are helping so many people reclaim their health and really look at their diets and how active they are. This IS a good thing, I will still watch the show...I just wish they would be more specific when referring to diabetes.



I only wish that these celebrity doctors, talk show hosts, reporters, would state the facts...the real facts, not just broad sweeping statements that add to the confusion about type 1 diabetes. This is just one more example of a tv show causing disappointment and sadness...it really does hurt me, it breaks my heart to think that now there are even more people who may judge my kids because of this disease, that they may think that it's our fault or that we aren't doing enough to keep them healthy. That now there will be more people who will never give to JDRF or any other organization trying to bring us closer to a cure because of some tv doctor that didn't think about how powerful his words are.


Dr. H...I HOPE you will realize how much influence you have on the world, yes...it was just one sentence and, yes, some people may have known you were talking about type 2 diabetes and only type 2 diabetes, but...we owe it to our kids to get it right, let's stop spreading the confusion!

Doing The Happy Dance!

School is officially in session! I spent quite a few weeks this summer preparing myself mentally and emotionally to send Miss E off to kindergarten...I was freaking out just a little bit!


You see, this would be the first time I would EVER be apart from her for longer then maybe an hour! In her five years, I never left her with a babysitter, she didn't go to preschool, we were together all the time. So you can imagine that my anxiety level was borderline OFF THE CHARTS! Just before she was diagnosed I began to look into preschool for her, but after her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes I just couldn't do it.


Don't worry...she wasn't sent of to kindergarten without some book smarts :) I spent a lot of time working with her, hanging out at the library, teaching her all that I could so she would be prepared for the big moment...the first day of school.


I had an opportunity to meet with her new teacher and the teachers educational assistant before school started. It gave us time to really discuss Miss E's care and how we would manage her diabetes in the classroom. So, here is the BIG, BIG surprise...


Her teacher has type 1 diabetes!!!!!!!!! YEP, you heard me right! She has type 1 diabetes!!!! Can you believe it????!!!! I swear to you, I was soooooooo excited it was borderline inappropriate! I don't ever want to be excited that someone has diabetes, but to know that my daughters first teacher ever, has type 1 diabetes....I just don't think I could have dreamed up a better scenario. I am not kidding you, when I found that out I was like a kid who just walked through the gates of Disneyland for the first time...elated, in awe, dumbfounded, borderline tears of joy stinging my eyes! I later apologized to her for my excitement, I felt that I went a little too close to doing a happy dance and I didn't want her to think I was nuts. Of course, she completely understood and she "got it"...she knows and understands my fears and my worries, she "gets it".


So, almost immediately my anxiety levels plummeted...it was like I could breathe again for the first time in weeks. Here's another beautiful piece of the puzzle, the educational assistant...well, she is also a nurse! Yes, I think that settles it...I just won the diabetes jackpot (if there were such a prize).


Miss E loves school, she doesn't even want to take days off for the weekend! It's been great, she wakes up every morning excited and ready for another day at school. I love it! So far, so good.


The school has a wonderful nurse and a health assistant who have been fantastic, they are really stepping up to the plate and going above and beyond what I was expecting. It's been a true blessing and I am just so thankful for this amazing start in this new journey we are on...a brand new beginning for us, a new day and a new adventure has begun!

SHOUT OUT TO MY D-PEEPS

So this is a much overdue post, I guess you could say I took a long vacation from blogging...I needed to recharge my batteries and start gearing up for the school year. I spent a lot of time with my kids, hanging out, playing, coloring and just soaking up their joy and love! Miss E has started kindergarten and I felt like I was counting down the days until she left me...I was a wreck!!!


We also had lots of family visiting us and we even took a road trip, there were JDRF functions and many play dates and sleepovers!


Summer was fun and full of action...


But something was missing...what was missing you may ask??? Well YOU of course!!! I have spent the last couple of hours catching up on some of my fellow D-peeps blogs and I just realized how much I have missed you all!!! So this is my quick shout out to all my fellow D-bloggers out there, reading your posts has reminded me of how lucky I am to have such an amazing group of friends out there who are living this life with D right along with me and can understand the struggles that we face...you inspire, amaze, and delight me...you make me laugh, you make me cry and you remind me that I am not alone in this.


Thank you for sharing your stories and inspiring me...I want to share with you this quote...

You have within you

the STRENGTH,

the PATIENCE,

and the PASSION

to reach for the stars

and change the WORLD!

-Harriet Tubman

I believe that every time we share a story, a moment, a fear or a triumph...we can change someones life and have an impact. Even if you don't think you are making a difference, you are...