First shot of many....

Out of the blue yesterday at lunch Anna asked if she could give herself the shot. I was totally unprepared for that.... We have never discussed it, I think they talked about it at Diabetes Day Camp earlier this summer, but it is not something I have mentioned to her. I am of the "she is going to have to do this the rest of her life, I should at least take care of it for her now school of thought" :)....

Anyway, since I was caught totally off-guard, I said not for lunch but maybe you can practice on Rufus and when you are ready you can do your own. So, she got Rufus(the diabetes bear) out and practiced several times yesterday afternoon....

Fast-forward to dinner last night. Sitting in the middle of the Food Court at the mall, she says "Ok, mom I am ready to give my shot now." Looking at her sweet face, there was no denying her. So, there in the middle of a crowded food court I watched my precious little girl give herself a shot, with tears streaming down my face. I had no idea it would be so emotional- it was much harder on me to watch her give herself a shot than it is for me to do it.

So, we will see what today brings. I have always told her and reiterated to her last night, that I am here to take care of any/everything that she wants me to and will give every shot until she goes off to college if she wants me to ;)!! She thought that was funny!

Eventhough it was hard, I am soooo proud of her courage!!! And she was so proud of herself :)

Our New Life

When I created this blog long ago, I did not think that I would use it much. But with a change in life, comes a change in need ;)

Anna, our precious 7 year old, was diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes on April 13, 2007. While my heart continues to cry that this is not fair, I know that I need to do my best to "get over it" and get on with what is now our "new life".

I thought I had a pretty good understanding of diabetes, after all I have a degree in Biomedical Science :) and my MIL is a Type 1, but I was wrong. Type 1 Diabetes is tough, unpredictable, unforgiving, unrelenting and ever-present. The reality of the fact that this is never going to go away is starting to set in.

Anna has done very well. PTL, she is a sweet, fun and compliant 7 year old. I pray that she stays that way. She has had a couple of crying sessions lately, one being last night. She asked if we could read the bible together. I think it was a big help and she is truly grasping that even though this is a bad thing that happened, God can make good come from it. I also want her to know that it is ok to be mad about it and think that it is not fair, because it is not. But that she and we have an amazing opportunity to allow God to use this situation for good in us and others. A big concept for a 7 year old and something that most people are not forced to learn until much later in life.

So, with this posting comes my first foray into the diabetes blogosphere. Bear with me as I relay our adjustment to life as we now know it.