THE STORY OF ONE FAMILY'S JOURNEY WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES AND CELIAC DISEASE.
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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Dexcom: 1st Grader

Around 9 am, I sat down at the computer to create a poster sized collage using the CGM pics I collected from the DOC.  I was excited to see them all together on one big page, and started the upload process smiling from ear to ear with anticipation.

But then one upload failed.  And another.

And a scattered few more.

And I logged out.

Logged in.

Started over.

Tried again.

I was running out of time.  I needed to have it done by 12:40 since I was scheduled to talk to all the 1st graders at Sugar's school, and help to answer their questions about "that funny looking thing" they see on her arm from time to time.

Eventually I decided I'd have to settle with what I could get uploaded and move on.

So I created my collage, and paid online.

As I was scheduling my pick up, I realized that I couldn't mosey up to the store closest to me.  I'd have to drive about 30 minutes instead.

A quick glance at the clock revealed that I'd need to pack up the 3 preschoolers in my care, throw together bagged lunches for them, and have them eat on the way to the store.  If every light, road project, and speed limit sign cooperated, I had enough time to make it there and back without a second to spare.

So off we went!

AND....when I got there, they didn't have the order.

Great.

I turned around to drive my brood back to school and called my local store on the way.  I begged and pleaded with the nice photo guy, and he gladly agreed to get me an 8x10 collage as soon as I could get the order entered.

Drop of preschoolers.

Home to place emergency order.

Drive to store.

Wait in line.

Hustle back to the school.

Sign in.

Scatter to the room, only to find three 1st grade classes sitting patiently, waiting for Mrs. Rose (WHO IS THAT?) to arrive. (Someone tell that lady to get her act together, would ya?)

All eyes were on ME.

Smile.

My girl was sitting at the front of the room, and she hadn't seen all the pictures before.  I walked in, and handed the collage to her....


And she was flabbergasted.

"Who are these people, Mommy?" she whispered in my ear.
I kissed her cheek and whispered back, "Well, they're some friends who wanted to show you that you aren't alone, because they wear a CGM too."

She held that picture...staring at each smile, touching the sensor images, and laughing at some of the funny faces.  For a few minutes she was suspended in her own little world.

Meanwhile, I talked to the kids about Dexcom and started fielding questions:

"Can you catch diabetes?"
"How did she get diabetes?"
"Can she go swimming with that on her arm?"
"What if the sticker falls off in the pool?"
"Can't you just jump in the water with her (reaches high over his head), hold Dexcom up out of the water, and follow her around the pool so it doesn't get wet?"  (gotta love 1st graders!)
"What would happen if she didn't go to the nurse?"
"Does it hurt when you put those things on her?"
"Does it hurt when she pokes her finger?"
"What will happen if her blood sugar is zero?"
"What will happen if her blood sugar is too high?"
"Can she come to my birthday party?"

-- and my personal favorite --

"Well, I'm not really sure this is a question.  I saw a commercial and it said that kids over 50 years old could call a phone number and they would send you the supplies to make diabetes go away."{cheers erupt from the room full of kids.}

Oh, my sweet, tender-hearted, little friends.

If only that were true.

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25 comments:

  1. SO sweet how touched your little girl was seeing those pictures!

    I often get invited to speak in classrooms about our alert dogs. Their questions amaze me every time!

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  2. What a beautiful collage!! I love the questions. And I love that Sugar was happy.That makes me happy~! xoxo

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  3. I am having a rough time of things lately and I just started bawling seeing this. The part where she touched the picture and asked you about it made me smile...and...so happy to see Joe standing next to your sweet Sugar!

    Love to you.

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  4. I can just imagine that look on her face when she saw that picture of people just like her... Priceless!

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  5. wish I had known you needed pix...Roxy wears a Dex, too.

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  6. What a great project.
    and here's where I say "which one of these things doesn't belong?" ME! I am not wearing it on my arm, and I'm an adult! wow. I'm sort of embarrassed. But nevertheless the point was there and I'm so happy for you (and sugar) :)

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  7. Love that -- probably made your daughter feel great! Sorry I didn't get my pic in -- sometimes my mind is too full to think. I was just thinking how great it is that my son is too little to care about wearing his dex. Eventually, I'm sure he'll be much more self-conscious.

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  8. Wendy, you did an AMAZING thing for Sugar yesterday. I LOVE this idea and am making note to do something like this when I go in to talk to Ally's class each fall. She has recently made note over.and.over.again. that everyone thinks she is wearing a phone. I think she would have the same reaction that Sugar had when she saw the collage. Way to go Mama!

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  9. I don't know if I could have kept my composure together when she touched the picture. You are such a great mom! The collage turned out beautiful!

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  10. I love it! I can only imagine the look on her face when she saw all those sweet faces! Totally priceless!! I really hope it helps her. Brianna was so glad she could help!
    Kelly Harp

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  11. Oh, I'm crying a little as I type this. I'm 38yo PWt1D, Dx 1980. I love the collage you made, I love Sugar's reaction to it and your response, and I SO love the last comment re: 50-yr old kids and supplies to make the D go away. If only... ;) You did a super amazing wonderful thing. What an incredible d-mom you are!! <3

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  12. Wendy, this is AWESOME!!! Love hearing how much those pics affected her - I am so impressed and I'm taking *notes* for when the time comes for us to be dealing with these issues.

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  13. Love the collage. What a wonderful thing for you to do for Sugar and the class!

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  14. This is amazing! I'm so glad you did this for her and her class!!

    And that kid totally cracked me up!! Did you ask him if he heard about cinnamon?!?

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  15. What a cute lot of kids!! I'm glad we could help..
    (gracious my child has a big tongue!)

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  16. This post made me cry happy tears which I really needed today...thank you for sharing

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  17. So totally cool! What an awesome way to show her classmates and her that she's not alone in this. So touching!

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  18. I love how vivdly your words paint the picture of the event, Wendy. I was totally there watching Sugar's face light up and all the squirley little kids raising their hands and hopping in their seats to get a turn to ask a question.

    Out of the mouths of babes!!!

    Nice job, mama pancreas! The road to get there was hilly, bumpy and had a detour, but you pulled it off!!!

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  19. Your daughter's reaction to the collage is so touching! What a great job you did educating and doing all you can to make your daughter comfortable. Love the last comment too....my daughter hears all those diabetes commercials too and wants one of the "talking meters".

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  20. I love this. The picture and your post made me cry! I hope it helps Sugar know that she is not alone! Kisses and Hugs!

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  21. Wendy,
    I love you post today!!! What an amazing story! I still can't talk in front of Taylor's class. It still makes me cry. For some reason, talking in front of a group about Diabetes takes me back to March 8th 2005 and I lose my composure. It is so weird!! I have to get the teacher or my husband to do the talk or read the book that first day of school each year.

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  22. I am so glad she liked it. That had to make the whole Walgreens double trip worth while. :)

    1st grades and their questions crack me up :)

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  23. I can imagine how stressed you must've been, first trying to upload the pics and then trying to get the darn collage printed. All's well that ends well, and it sounds as though this project ended with a great talk...which makes me very happy for Sugar. :)

    Love the questions.

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  24. So very awesome. Great to hear Sugar's reaction. So sorry about all the picture trouble. I hope things have been going much better since. :)

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While I'm happy to share our experiences with what works, and what doesn't work, for the management of Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in our house, please do not mistake anything you read here for medical advice. Decisions regarding your/your child's health care should be made only with the assistance of your medical care team. Use any information from this blog at your own risk.