Build-A-Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop just announced the arrival of Rudolf and Clarice for a limited time. I’m only passing this information along because it gives me the opportunity to remind everyone that Build-A-Bear offers a special Purple Satin Heart for your child’s doll. The heart costs a dollar but the entire dollar goes to the JDRF.
Some store don’t do a good job of advertising the heart so you may have to inquire with the manager. The last time we took the kids there I bought a heart for every kid in the store... It’s a great feeling and a great way to show your kids the personal reward you get from philanthropy!
**
The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.
An open letter to our representatives
As a part of the JDRF’s ‘Advocacy in Action’ campaign they asked myself and others to share what life is like for us with type I. They forward the letters to congress. Below is my letter. Please feel free to add your own message in the comment area below.
"My three year old daughter has type I diabetes. We chronicle her life on our website www.ardensday.com. I believe that one of the keys to finding a cure is transparency. Transparency is the path to understanding. Frankness while uncomfortable is paramount if we’re to have honest discourse. And only that kind of raw conversation will move us closer to a cure.
Without an accurate concept of what a disease like diabetes does to a person you can't properly fight for those who are stricken. It's my goal to remove the misconceptions about my daughter's disease and leave people only with the visceral experience of what our life is like. The shots and finger sticks are just the beginning. I've watched my little girl have two seizures and I spend every second of my life trying in vain to mimic her pancreas well enough to keep that from happening again. That's my life. I'm Arden's pancreas.
As I write this Arden is sleeping. It's 9 pm., three hours since her last shot and an hour since I snuck into her room last and checked her blood sugar. If I did everything right her BG will be between 100 and 150 when I check her again. Then I'll just sit up until her BG goes up enough to give her the insulin she needs to keep her in a safe range overnight. You know, so she doesn't loose a limb or the feeling in her extremities or her sight or have a heart attack before she's 40 years old. The best part is that even if I do everything correctly it doesn't ensure that those things won't happen anyway.
I invite any and all politicians to spend a day with Arden. Live in the constant fear that I'm surrounded in. Experience the insane pressure of injecting a drug that if measured incorrectly will throw my baby into a seizure. Every three hours, 24 hrs a day, every decision I make is paramount. Too much insulin is a seizure, too little and she'll suffer catastrophic physical effects. Then at the end of the day we can sit down together and figure out why everyone is so comfortable playing politics with our children's lives. Maybe then you'll cast a real vote to find a cure.
You want to know about my life with diabetes? It's a lot like my life as a democrat. It's full of horrendous pain & disappointment on every level you can imagine and a hundred you've never considered.
I beg you, do something. You're spending more time pretending to help then it would actually take to help. Stop pandering to the fearful. Do something real and I'll celebrate your bravery forever."
**
The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.
blood sugar and it breaks my heart. Diabetes effects the whole family
and I have seen her brother (who is only 7) try to help her. I want to echo my son's
wish yhat each member of congress spend a day with Arden and then go back to congress
for a cure for this disease. Thank you!
Updates
- The scariest holiday of them all (for a diabetic) Halloween was actually pretty painless. Luckily Arden isn’t a big fan of candy. So it’s more about the trickin’ and treatin’ then the eatin’. I added a few pictures from the night to the ‘scrapbook’.
- Donations have been trickling in this week. Bringing our total to $7,111!
-
- Our meeting with Senator Lautenberg has been posted on the JDRF’s advocacy website. Here’s the link.
-
- If you live in New Jersey please remember to get out and vote on Tuesday and please vote for a candidate that supports funding and research that will one day cure our children and stop their suffering. Also please vote YES for‘Public Question #2’. Question #2 asks if you support more funding for stem cell research. If you live in New Jersey please vote yes! The ballot language can be foundhere.
-
-If you are looking for a political conversation about the issue... There is a great dialogue going on at Things I wish Democrats Would Say. You can get involved with that conversation by clicking here. The blog is run by an Arden’s Day reader and supporter.
-
-I’ve created some Arden’s Day wallpapers and you can download them here.
**
The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.
Just voted! It's my pleasure to vote for science, for opportunity, but most of all, for Arden.Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 10:31 AMThank you Sarah! Arden and I are on our way to vote right now!Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 01:08 PMQuestion - 2-Stem Cell Research - Ballot Issue
Precincts Yes No
6210/6289 601,343-47% 680,828-53%
Thanks for trying!Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 06:47 PM