Bene i miei amici è stato un molto tempo da quando ho preso il tempo di sedersi e scrivere. Dal mio ultimo post sono successe così tante cose. Quello più significativo ha iniziato un viaggio per il quale tutta la nostra famiglia è stata benedetta oltre misura!
Come tutti sapete, io Ed ed ci hanno due fantastici figli, Robert che è ora di 12 e Matteo che è 10. Robert vive con il diabete di tipo 1 a bordo. Io sono attivo con JDRF (noto anche come Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Io sono un volontario mentore sedia, Presidente per il Kids Camp al tipo One Nation Summit e, più recentemente, un dipendente dei ragazzi per una campagna di Cure. Con tutti questi cappelli sulla mia testa, anche io appartengo al diabete diversi correlati post su Facebook. Uno di questi gruppi è dove inizia la nostra nuova avventura.
Il 23 giugno di quest'anno, un post apparso in una delle nostre pagine locali diabete su Facebook, ICES (International Cultural Exchange Students) stava cercando una famiglia ospitante per un giovane uomo che è anche un tipo 1 diabetico. Questo post mi ha colpito duro; mi ha fatto guardare in profondità nel mio cuore e che "if questo era mio figlio, mi auguro che una famiglia amorevole con t1d esperienza sarebbe lui il benvenuto nella loro casa. " il 24 giugno, dopo una notte insonne di sonno, ho preso il grande salto di fede e domandato circa le responsabilità e i requisiti. Più domande ho chiesto quel giorno, in più ho dovuto parlare con Ed e chiedergli se potevamo essere quella famiglia. Gli ho dato le indicazioni e, non appena ho detto studente "the è Italian" l'affare è stato sigillato! Dopo una discussione relativamente breve, abbiamo compilato una lista di domande da porre il nostro facilitatore e ho fatto la chiamata.
Abbiamo appreso che Giovanni era, al momento, solo timido del suo 17 ° compleanno, è stato da un'isola nel Mar Mediterraneo chiamato Sardegna (lo confesso, ho dovuto guardare su una mappa per vedere dove questo era), era il maggiore di tre figli, cattolico, suonava la chitarra ed era attivo nelle cause per i diritti umani. Quella notte, abbiamo pregato per l'orientamento e il giorno successivo ha detto il nostro facilitatore che eravamo molto interessati ad aprire la nostra casa a Giovanni. Poco dopo che abbiamo iniziato il processo di applicazione, che, con mia grande sorpresa, era abbastanza facile. La parte più difficile stava raccogliendo le immagini necessarie. Dopo tutto, si può fare una prima impressione due volte!
Mentre tutto questo stava accadendo, mia madre era in visita da Philadelphia. Lei era al settimo cielo felice che stavamo andando a partecipare a questo incredibile viaggio. Lei ci ha incoraggiato ad imparare per quanto abbiamo potuto sulla cultura e la vita in Sardegna. Lei mi ha dato molte idee su come aiutare i nostri studenti a far parte della nostra famiglia. Ogni giorno lei ed io controllerei il sito online per vedere se siamo stati approvati.
Una notte, durante la prima settimana di luglio, ha incoraggiato Ed e io per andare a cena fuori e lasciare i ragazzi con lei. Siamo andati in un piccolo pub per hamburger e una birra. Mentre sul disco lì, ho deciso di dare un'occhiata al sito di applicazione. Se gli elementi sono stati nel processo o incompleto il testo è rimasto rosso, come era stato il caso con il nostro check di sfondo... fino a quel momento in macchina. Ho aperto la pagina e rimasto sorpreso di vedere il testo in verde! Ho iniziato a piangere in macchina ed Ed ha chiesto che cosa era sbagliato. Gli ho detto che niente era sbagliato, ma che il nostro controllo della priorità bassa era diventato verde. Al momento non ero sicuro se ciò significava che siamo stati approvati a host. Così naturalmente ho non dovuto testo il nostro facilitatore, il venerdì sera meno! Andrea ha risposto con un sì! Oh mio Dio!!! SIAMO STATI APPROVATI!
Monday, August 22, 2016
It's A Boy!
Well my friends it has been a VERY long time since I have taken the time to sit down and write. So many things have happened since my last post. The most significant one started a journey for which our entire family has been blessed beyond measure!
As you all know, Ed and I have two fantastic sons, Robert who is now 12, and Matthew who is 10. Robert lives with type 1 diabetes on board. I am active with the JDRF (also known as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). I am a Volunteer Mentor Chair, Chairperson for the Kids Camp at Type One Nation Summit and most recently an employee of the Kids for a Cure campaign. With all of these hats on my head, I also belong to several diabetes related posts on Facebook. One such group is where our newest adventure began.
On June 23 of this year, a post appeared in one of our local diabetes pages on Facebook, ICES (International Cultural Exchange Students) was seeking a host family for a young man who is also a type 1 diabetic. This post hit me hard; made me look deep into my heart and think "if this were my son, I would hope that a loving family with t1d experience would welcome him into their home." On June 24th, after a restless night of sleep, I took the giant leap of faith and inquired about the responsibilities and requirements. The more questions I asked that day, the more I had to talk to Ed and ask him if we could be that family. I gave him the particulars and as soon as I said "the student is Italian" the deal was sealed! After a relatively short discussion, we compiled a list of questions to ask our facilitator and I made the call.
We learned that Giovanni was, at the time, just shy of his 17th birthday, was from an island in the Mediterranean Sea called Sardinia (I confess, I had to look on a map to see where this was), was the oldest of three children, Catholic, played the guitar, and was active in human rights causes. That night, we prayed for guidance and the next day told our facilitator we were very much interested in opening our home to Giovanni. Shortly after that we started the application process, which to my surprise was quite easy. The hardest part was gathering the required pictures. After all, you can't make a first impression twice!
While all of this was happening, my mother was visiting from Philadelphia. She was over the moon happy that we were going to participate in this amazing journey. She encouraged us to learn as much as we could about the culture and life in Sardinia. She gave me many ideas on how to help our student become part of our family. Daily she and I would check the online site to see if we were approved.
One night, during the first week of July, she encouraged Ed and I to go out to dinner and leave the boys with her. We went to a small pub for burgers and a beer. While on the drive there, I decided to take a peek at the application site. If items were in process or incomplete the text remained red, as had been the case with our background check..... until that moment in the car. I opened the page and was shocked to see the text in GREEN! I started crying in the car and Ed asked what was wrong. I told him nothing was wrong, but that our background check had turned green. At the time I wasn't quite sure if that meant we were approved to host. So of course I had to text our facilitator, on a Friday night no less! Andrea responded with a YES! Oh my goodness!!! WE WERE APPROVED!
As you all know, Ed and I have two fantastic sons, Robert who is now 12, and Matthew who is 10. Robert lives with type 1 diabetes on board. I am active with the JDRF (also known as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). I am a Volunteer Mentor Chair, Chairperson for the Kids Camp at Type One Nation Summit and most recently an employee of the Kids for a Cure campaign. With all of these hats on my head, I also belong to several diabetes related posts on Facebook. One such group is where our newest adventure began.
On June 23 of this year, a post appeared in one of our local diabetes pages on Facebook, ICES (International Cultural Exchange Students) was seeking a host family for a young man who is also a type 1 diabetic. This post hit me hard; made me look deep into my heart and think "if this were my son, I would hope that a loving family with t1d experience would welcome him into their home." On June 24th, after a restless night of sleep, I took the giant leap of faith and inquired about the responsibilities and requirements. The more questions I asked that day, the more I had to talk to Ed and ask him if we could be that family. I gave him the particulars and as soon as I said "the student is Italian" the deal was sealed! After a relatively short discussion, we compiled a list of questions to ask our facilitator and I made the call.
We learned that Giovanni was, at the time, just shy of his 17th birthday, was from an island in the Mediterranean Sea called Sardinia (I confess, I had to look on a map to see where this was), was the oldest of three children, Catholic, played the guitar, and was active in human rights causes. That night, we prayed for guidance and the next day told our facilitator we were very much interested in opening our home to Giovanni. Shortly after that we started the application process, which to my surprise was quite easy. The hardest part was gathering the required pictures. After all, you can't make a first impression twice!
While all of this was happening, my mother was visiting from Philadelphia. She was over the moon happy that we were going to participate in this amazing journey. She encouraged us to learn as much as we could about the culture and life in Sardinia. She gave me many ideas on how to help our student become part of our family. Daily she and I would check the online site to see if we were approved.
One night, during the first week of July, she encouraged Ed and I to go out to dinner and leave the boys with her. We went to a small pub for burgers and a beer. While on the drive there, I decided to take a peek at the application site. If items were in process or incomplete the text remained red, as had been the case with our background check..... until that moment in the car. I opened the page and was shocked to see the text in GREEN! I started crying in the car and Ed asked what was wrong. I told him nothing was wrong, but that our background check had turned green. At the time I wasn't quite sure if that meant we were approved to host. So of course I had to text our facilitator, on a Friday night no less! Andrea responded with a YES! Oh my goodness!!! WE WERE APPROVED!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Welcome to Our D-Life
Type 1 Diabetes. Ugh! Not what you want to hear following the words "Your son has been diagnosed with..." But those were the words that we heard on November 30, 2013. As of today it has been 128 days since we learned that our lives have been altered forever. But here's the catch, Buddy may have Type 1 Diabetes, but it doesn't have him!
We were the lucky family. We were the Type 2 diabetic parents who knew the signs of our disease. In October, Buddy dealt with a respiratory virus. And again the Monday before Thanksgiving. I'd notice a drop in his weight but attributed it to a growth spurt. It's happened before, lose 5-10 pounds and *poof* grow about 3 inches taller. Even our extended family noticed it at our Thanksgiving dessert gathering. BY that time though, I had begun to notice that my ADD/Anxiety child had become more angry and less tolerant of his younger brother. I noticed that he couldn't get enough water to drink and along with that he couldn't pee it out fast enough. The puzzle pieces started to fall into place. After a large post Turkey day lunch, on a whim, using my husband's glucose meter we tested his blood. the reading came back and knocked me for a loop.... HIGH LEVELS. The monitor couldn't even give us a number. It meant that his blood glucose level was ABOVE 600 and was in the danger zone. Not wanting to panic, we decided to let it go until the next morning and do a fasting test. Knowing the level should have been any where from 90 to 120, I was shattered to see a reading of 268. Thanksgiving weekend, our doctor away on vacation, and our kid is seriously ill. What do we do?
Walking into our local hospital's ER was the start of a whirlwind weekend that will forever be ingrained in my mind. And that is coming from a woman who normally has a Swiss-cheese memory. The 572 reading on the blood glucose monitor at the hospital is tattooed on my brain. I'll never forget the super bumpy ride in the ambulance from one hospital to the Children's Hospital at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital. I'll never rid my mind of the tears and reddened face of my baby boy, asking why this had to happen to him. I can vividly remember every conversation had with EVERY SINGLE medical professional. I remember sitting, wide awake, and completely sleep deprived in the middle of the night, just watching my son sleep in his oversized hospital bed. Surprising the doctors, nurses, dieticians, nutritionist, diabetic nurse educators all by knowing as much about types 1 & 2 and how to test blood glucose and administer an insulin injection. (we were very quick studies indeed!)Walking the hospital hallways at 2 in the morning with tears and confusion in my eyes, being stopped by the night shift nurses who so lovingly hugged me and assured me that I am strong enough to be the best D Mom I can be. They said this wasn't going to be an easy life, but it could be a manageable one as long as I did my best.
And you know what? Those nurses were 100 percent dead on right! I am a damn good D Mom. I will take anyone down who tries to get in my way. My son's health and well being come first. I've jumped head first into Advocacy. I've read more articles about the latest advances than I have done pleasure reading. And I will continue to educate myself and others along the way. I will raise funds for research for a cure. I will shout from the mountain tops abut our life with T1. I will make life as normal as normal can be while dealing with an incurable disease. And all of it will be done with all of the love that my heart can hold! Why?
Because to paraphrase our favorite childhood book, "I'll love him forever, I'll like him for always. AS long as he's living, my D-baby, he'll be!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Want to make a difference in Robert's life and in the lives of children and adults like him? Please consider making a donation to the JDRF. On April 15, 2014, I will be providing the link to our team's Walk for a Cure donor page. Any donation, no matter how big or how small, can and will make a difference for our D families.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Happy 3rd Blog-versary (Plus 14 days) to Me!
July 16, 2010.
Just an ordinary day,
in an ordinary life.
The day I joined the blogging world.
My little piece of the internet
that belongs solely to me.
So glad I found my voice.
Can't wait to explore more!
HAPPY BLOG-VERSARY TO ME!
26 Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmmm
So, I expanded my horizons and got me a pretty lil thing called a tumblr account about eight months ago. Stumbling my way through the entries, finding old friends, I discovered this one post that was a list of 26 questions. Some simple, some deep, some dark, and some just plain crazy. I thought I would share them with you and give you a little something to think about. Feel free to pick and choose a few to answer. Post them here in the comments section. Enjoy!
- If you could get away with one murder in your lifetime without any legal, social, or emotional repercussions, would you kill someone?
- What is your first thought when you receive a message on Tumblr, are you excited for the idea of someone from potentially the other side of the world wanting to talk to you or fearful that someone will criticize you?
- Have you ever looked down on someone because you thought your religious views were superior?
- Would you rather know everything the universe has to offer but in exchange lose all emotions or remain the way you are now?
- If you could live and be healthy without sleeping or eating/drinking, which would you cut out of your life?
- If you could take on the exact body and form of anyone else on Earth, who would it be?
- Would you rather burn or freeze to death?
- If it meant it would solve all world hunger, war, disease and bigotry, would you spend the rest of eternity in Hell?
- Was the first crush in your life something you had or something someone had on you?
- Could you live without having sex ever (again) in exchange for eternal youth?
- Have you ever watched a full length pornographic movie?
- The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
- If you could have the ability to manipulate matter or energy, which would you choose?
- What was the worst nightmare you ever had?
- Would you rather spend one year with your one true love just to never see them again or the rest of your life with second best?
- All the sequels/remakes/adaptations/rip-offs in movies nowadays, good or bad?
- Would you rather be dirt poor and emotionally fulfilled in life or be rich beyond imagination and emotionally dissatisfied for life?
- Do you have any (secret) feelings of bigotry to any group of people?
- Would you rather be the only person in the world that can read minds or have everyone else in the world be able to read minds except for your own?
- If everyone in the world would automatically only know one language, which language would you choose?
- If you were old enough and not in a situation where it would be inappropriate, would you sleep with one of your (past) school teachers/professors?
- A world without religion, good, bad, neutral?
- The men's rights movement, legitimate cause or laughable, and why?
- You can eliminate one of your five senses to substantially strengthen the others, which one and would you do it?
- Do looks mean anything to you? Don't lie, could you fall in love with someone you thought was ugly?
- Can you understand the mindset and logic used by the opposite spiritual opinion? An atheist understanding the belief in a higher power and vice versa.
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