Promise Meeting

Today we visited our Congressman, The Honorable Chris Smith, to thank him for his past support of legislation that benefits type I diabetes research.  

Our group meet with the Congressman for more then an hour, we spoke about our personal stories and shared what it’s like to live every day with type I.  Rep. Smith was a gracious host, I learned of his many endeavors in the medical research area and he is a strident supporter of people like Arden and their needs.

He spoke with feeling about the need for more financial support for research and shared some of the ways that he hoped to attract scientists to that research.

It was a wonderful meeting and we thank the Congressman for his time and insight.  

You can learn more about the JDRF’s Promise To Remember Me initiative at this link, I can’t say enough about the work that the JDRF does in Washington on behalf of the children with type I - they are doing amazing work!

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Stacey D.

That is awesome! So glad you seized the opportunity to meet with him.  I hope your story (Arden's story) made a difference in how he will think of the need for diabetes research.  Even if only a little, it counts.

Monday, August 23, 2010 - 07:25 PM

Better then a Teddy Bear

Just like everyone else that wears a DexCom 7+, Arden sleeps with her receiver.  Lately, I’ve been noticing that she holds it on her chest while she sleeps.  My initial reaction was sadness but as the days pass I’m really beginning to love the fact that she does this.  

There are a ton of inconveniences that come with having type I, sleeping with a piece of electronics might be the least of them.  Today I made a choice, a choice that we can all make; I’m not thinking of these things as “inconveniences” anymore. 

There are days when I’m so busy that eating lunch feels inconvenient but no matter how busy I am I never get upset about having to eat lunch.  That’s the lesson... weather it’s sleeping with electronics or having a sensor stuck to your butt these things are just “eating lunch” for diabetics.  

I thinks it’s all attitude and perspective and we can all do this!

Be well...

Just like everyone else that wears a DexCom 7+, Arden sleeps with her receiver.  Lately, I’ve been noticing that she holds it on her chest while she sleeps.  My initial reaction was sadness but as the days pass I’m really beginning to love the fact that she does this.  

There are a ton of inconveniences that come with having type I, sleeping with a piece of electronics might be the least of them.  Today I made a choice, a choice that we can all make; I’m not thinking of these things as “inconveniences” anymore. 

There are days when I’m so busy that eating lunch feels inconvenient but no matter how busy I am I never get upset about having to eat lunch.  That’s the lesson... weather it’s sleeping with electronics or having a sensor stuck to your butt these things are just “eating lunch” for diabetics.  

I thinks it’s all attitude and perspective and we can all do this!

Be well...

Just like everyone else that wears a DexCom 7+, Arden sleeps with her receiver.  Lately, I’ve been noticing that she holds it on her chest while she sleeps.  My initial reaction was sadness but as the days pass I’m really beginning to love the fact that she does this.  

There are a ton of inconveniences that come with having type I, sleeping with a piece of electronics might be the least of them.  Today I made a choice, a choice that we can all make; I’m not thinking of these things as “inconveniences” anymore. 

There are days when I’m so busy that eating lunch feels inconvenient but no matter how busy I am I never get upset about having to eat lunch.  That’s the lesson... weather it’s sleeping with electronics or having a sensor stuck to your butt these things are just “eating lunch” for diabetics.  

I thinks it’s all attitude and perspective and we can all do this!

Be well...

Covey declines deal after diabetes diagnosis

Likely Type 1, Brewers' top pick opts for University of San Diego

MILWAUKEE -- For the first time in nearly two decades, the Brewers and a first-round Draft did not strike a deal. A stunning medical diagnosis got in the way.

Right-hander Dylan Covey, the 14th overall selection in June's First-Year Player Draft, woke up Friday thinking he was four days from signing his first professional baseball contract. He learned Friday afternoon that he was diabetic.

On Monday, only a few hours before the deadline for Major League teams and their picks to come to terms, came word with 95 percent certainty that it was Type 1 diabetes. Facing a lifetime of treatment and a major adjustment to his promising baseball career, Covey declined the Brewers' contract offer and said he would instead attend the University of San Diego.

The rest of the story is at the LINK

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Scott

If the type I is really the reason that he didn't sign, I think that he made a mistake - it's a mistake I understand but a mistake none-the-less.  I hope someone can show Dylan that he can play baseball just fine with type I.  My heart goes out to Dylan and his family, I know what is about to happen to them...

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 12:15 AM

JDRF TV ad

Email from the JDRF

Attention all budding television stars!

Your chance to shine is just a click away…

If you are between the ages of 6 and 14 and have type 1 diabetes, YOU have the chance to be featured in a TV commercial promoting the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, which will run in the Delaware, New Jersey and Philadelphia markets!

If your team registers 10 additional walkers between today and Friday, Aug. 20th that TV spot could be yours…

End email

If you’d like to walk with Arden this year or just help her gain enough walkers to be considered for the ad... you can sign up at this link, it only takes a few minutes. 

https://walk.jdrf.org//index.cfm?fuseaction=walk.walkeradd&chapterid=4574&eventID=6526&teamid=T1672289

When siging up please make sure that you have choosen Arden’s team name, “Walk for Arden” and that I, “Scott Benner” am your team captain.  Thank you all!

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Scott

Thanks to everyone that signed up! Arden's name was randomly pulled from a hat this morning and she will be representing the Eastern PA Chapter of the JDRF in this commercial. More details soon...

Monday, August 23, 2010 - 01:17 PM

Scott

exurb from JDRF email to walkers...

Congrats to last week’s winner Arden Benner
from the team Walk for Arden.
Arden will be featured in this year’s 6abc JDRF Walk commercial spot! Please look for this commercial on 6abc
sponsored by our friends at
Good Neighbor Pharmacy!

Monday, August 23, 2010 - 07:09 PM

Eat no wait don’t eat

“Always test”, my NP told us as we began using the DexCom 7+, “the CGM can’t take the place of your meter”.

I’ll admit that some days I am tempted to trust it and calculate a bolus based on the CGM number but I’m glad that I haven’t and here’s why...

Last night at 3:30am (oh diabetes how you love to not let me sleep) Arden’s CGM beeped, when I checked her it said that her BG was 39! I reached for a piece of extra sugary candy and asked Arden to sit up and eat it while I tested her.  A few moments later her OmniPod PDM reported that her BG was actually 117.  

When the 117 came up on the PDM screen, Arden, without missing a beat said, “I’m not low” and she took the candy out of her mouth and flopped her head on the pillow.  It was very cute the way she delivered that line.  She was so deadpan and matter of fact about it.  

Please don’t get me wrong the DexCom is a fantastic and stress reducing diabetes management tool that I highly recommend to anyone with type I.

Moral of the story, CGM aren’t meters, test, test, test.