A Mile in My Shoes

Sometimes the pieces fall in front of you in a way that shapes your path.

Being a sedentary adult had nothing to do with my diagnosis as a child with Type 1 Diabetes of course, but diabetes with the accompanying fears of hypoglycemia and the stress of managing glycemic control during exercise has everything to do with my being a sedentary adult.

The Diabetes Hands Foundation's community TuDiabetes.org helped me understand that I was not the only one struggling with my diabetes when I joined the social network in 2008 and has much to do with my two successful pregnancies and my outlook on diabetes today.

DHF's program Diabetes Advocates has allowed me to become a voice for patients and those touched by diabetes, and my blog Sweetly Voiced has allowed me to extend my reach and tell my story.

But something has been missing. I've still been afraid of exercise. I make a lot of excuses. I am afraid to do it alone, clueless as to how to accomplish being active while caring for two kids under the age of 4 at home alone all day, and always confused about how to manage the delicate balance of insulin and activity.

DHF has another program though - the Big Blue Test - which has proven to me that just a FEW minutes of activity can lower my blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes is incredibly challenging, sure, but if I could take a little less insulin, I'd have fewer hypo excursions. And if I could make my body just a little more efficient, I could have fewer hyper excursions. Just a little.

And that has taught me a lot.

The final lace in my shoe is that, as an attendee of the DiabetesMine Patient Voices Innovation Summit, I received a complimentary Misfit Shine fitness tracker courtesy of Target. Point taken, universe.

For the next 5 weeks, I commit to walking 10 MILES a week. Though it will likely be a well-worn route to and from a local park with my little ones, it will be an emotional journey, a physical challenge as I avoid hypoglycemia (while pushing a double stroller) and as I learn what does and doesn't work in my planning, and it will be the very first time I've done something else - ask for your support. Yes, you.

As I walk these 50 miles, I'm asking my friends, family, and acquaintances to help me reach my goal of raising $1,000 for the Diabetes Hands Foundation. For every dollar I raise, that's another dollar that we at the Foundation can put toward reaching more people who used to be like I was, helping more people who are just like me, and amplifying the efforts of those who are committed to making the world a better place for people who are struggling.

Will you help me put some miles on these bad boys?

My Favorite Six Year Old

I don't blog much about my nonprofit board work for either of the groups on which I serve as a director. The primary reason is that I care so deeply about the people and causes they represent that I don't want the potentially stupid things I might say to reflect on the organizations I cherish.

But today I wanted to post about the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to connect, engage, and empower people touched by diabetes so that no one touched by diabetes has to feel alone. Our communities - TuDiabetes, EsTuDiabetes, & Diabetes Advocates and our program Big Blue Test seek to bring PWD and their families the kind of engagement and support that did not exist when I was diagnosed.

My husband and I discovered TuDiabetes five years ago, just after they celebrated their first year online and just as we were embarking on our first year of marriage. I owe TuDiabetes everything.

The answers, the empathy, the feeling that I was NO LONGER ALONE...I could "come out" about how challenging life with diabetes was. And my friends' suggestions there made my days less challenging.