Video: Abril and Mary

Contributor: Abril and her mom, Mary

Connection: Child with type 1 diabetes, and caregiver/parent

English Translation (approximate):

Child: “Hi, my name is Abril and I have type 1 diabetes and I was diagnosed when I was 7 years old. I feel really happy and I can do whatever I want.”

Mom: “Hello, my name is Mary and I am Abril’s mom. It has been a year with Ms. Diabetes in the house, but we have realized that we can do anything. There have been some changes, right?”

Child: “Mmhmm.”

Mom: “We have to exercise more, change some of our eating habits. About a year ago I couldn’t even talk about it. I would cry and cry. And today, I see that it is bad but it can be done. We have changed a lot, and we feel really happy about that. What makes me happier is that Abril can do anything – she competes in triathlons, marathons, she runs, she swims, and jumps. She is absolutely happy, and we have learned from this. Most importantly, we have to learn, right? Read and learn a lot about diabetes to succeed.”

Video: Friends For Life “Words of Hope” – Parents of Kids With T1D

Just as we did in 2012, we asked people who visited our booth at the Friends For Life conference to share a little bit about their own journey with diabetes, and their advice for others. We had so many people participate this year that we’ve split the messages into three separate videos – here’s the second of three videos, featuring parents of kids living with type 1 diabetes.

What advice do you have for other parents? Leave your own “words of hope” in the comments below!

“We Can Do This”: Vol. 2

(For those who live with anxiety, even talking or reading about anxiety can be a trigger, so please proceed with caution before watching the video below.)

You may remember the “We Can Do This” video from this past April, in which five people who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as adults shared their diagnosis stories, lessons learned and advice for others who may be going through the same thing.

Keeping in line with that format, Vol. 2 gives a glimpse into the life of people who live with both anxiety and diabetes (or care for someone with diabetes). People already living with diabetes are about 20 percent more likely than those without diabetes to have an anxiety condition at some point in their lifetime, and it’s a topic that many are uncomfortable talking about.

And because the You Can Do This Project centers around the idea of opening up about the tough stuff – that’s exactly what Kate, Alexis, and Hallie did.

To connect with others with diabetes and anxiety, check out the new community “Anxious You Anxious Me” on Facebook and Twitter. You may also email Alexis directly at Anxietyyouanxietyme@gmail.com.

Video: JDRF Omaha Walk

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the You Can Do This Project table at the JDRF Omaha Walk to Cure this past Saturday – we had beautiful weather and a great turnout. The nature of the event may not have been conducive to recording much video, but we did gather some “Words of Hope” to share with you!

Video: Wendy

Contributor: Wendy; candyheartsblog.com

Connection: Parent of a child with type 1 diabetes

Quote: “I remember sitting in the ICU, thinking that she would never be able to enjoy Halloween again. I want to assure you that if those are things your child enjoys, you will still do them.”

Video: Moira

Contributor: Moira McCarthy; despitediabetes.com

Connection: Parent of a young adult with type 1 diabetes

Quote: “I thought [her diagnosis] was the end of the world, but it’s 15 years later now, and we’ve been through everything.”

Video: Amy

Contributor: Amy; www.diabetesmine.com

Connection: Person with LADA/type 1 diabetes

Standout Quote: “I’m not sharing all this to bum you out, but to let you know that you are not alone if you’re dealing with all this stuff every day, or even if you’re just getting started. Sure, it’s a pain; sure, it’s a lot of work, but you know what? You can do this.”

Video: Alexis

Contributor: Alexis; http://justicesmisbehavingpancreas.blogspot.com/

Connection: Parent of a child with type 1 diabetes

Standout Quote: “Seeing him low or high just breaks my soul; my heart. But I’m at a point where I’m grateful: that I have insulin in the fridge, syringes, sites, cartridges, pump, a great endo, I have you guys… no, this isn’t the life that I would have chosen, but this is the hand we were dealt so I feel like I need to play it well.”

Video: Joe and Reyna

Contributors: Joe and Reyna; betabuddies.blogspot.com

Connection: Child with type 1 diabetes and his mom

Standout Quote: “I don’t like telling you this – it is a hard emotion to deal with, but frankly you will be envious; you will be jealous. Forgive yourself for these emotions. You are hurting; you are grieving. It is understandable. It is okay.”

Blog Post: Jen

Contributor: Jen; @bloodsweatcarbs

Connection: Parent of a child with type 1 diabetes

Blog post: http://bloodsweatcarbs.blogspot.com/2011/06/you-can-do-this-from-one-type-1-parent.html

[Dylan has] played soccer for 3 years, from grades 2-4, and took karate at the same time, working his way up to his orange belt, before giving up the martial art due to time restraints (and he would like to resume both of these activities as soon as his schedule permits). He has taken countless sets of swimming lessons, and is headed to his third diabetes camp this summer. We also regularly go camping, hiking, cycling, walking, skiing, and geocaching as a family. He is on the school honor roll and for the past 2 years he has been part of the “gifted” program in his school district, which means that for a 1/2 day per week he goes to a different school with other “gifted” children to do more abstract challenge projects. And this past year he took up perhaps the scariest of all team sports, ice hockey, which he adores. All of this, combined with the youth ambassador work he does for JDRF, and a large group of school friends that he cares passionately about. Diabetes has accompanied us on family vacations to Las Vegas, Disneyland, Puerto Vallarta (twice), and many local destinations. With each new activity, we have faced new challenges, such as whether to suspend the pump, run a temp basal, switch to syringes, or simply remove the pump altogether, but through it all, Dylan has been positive and happy, and, to date, we have never had an A1C of over 9.0, so we’re doing okay.