Follow the Butterfly...

One June evening Arden walked into our living room and commandeered our TiVo remote. As she settled into our sofa she announced, "The softball World Series is on TV"... we all sat together and watched Alabama take on Florida.

The next day I received a Facebook message from an Arden's Day reader telling me that Alabama's catcher, Molly FIchtner, has type I diabetes.

That message prompted me to reached out to Molly on Twitter the next day, I asked her if she would be interested in doing an interview with me for Arden's Day and Huffington Post Sports.

A few days later Molly and I spoke on the phone where, for over an hour, I found Molly to be inspirational, clear-minded and in possession of a drive that one doesn't often come across. I immediately sat down to write her story and posted it on Arden's Day the very next morning, Huffington Post Sports followed a few days later.

Molly's story received thousands of Facebook shares and likes and hundreds of tweets were sent from people who wanted to spread the word about Molly. In the diabetes community, the JDRF tweeted, as did The Joslin Diabetes Center and countless people who live with diabetes. In kind, the softball community got the word out too. Players, colleges and travel teams alike all spread the word about Molly. The NCAA even sent a tweet that included a photo of Molly, complete with a quote that she gave me during our interview. - "Be determined to take your ability as far as it can go."

Then yesterday I received a new message on Facebook, one that delighted me and showed the power of community, positive influences and the power of sharing online. The message was from a mother who's child does not have diabetes, she told me that her daughter's softball coach recently emailed his entire team a link to an interview that he wanted them to read... My interview with Molly.

I'm proud to be a diabetes blogger, and I'm touched that you all take the time to read and share. I wanted you to know that your participation in our community does more than just help you and your family. You are part of something that is much larger, an interconnected process that is bringing hope, relief and guidance to families just like yours and mine - and beyond.

Have a wonderful weekend!

My best,

Social Media is Amazing (and so are you!)