14 Units.

That's how much insulin was left in her pump when I realized we were on the other side of the country without a vial to refill it.

Wait.

Let me back up for a second...

Last week, Sugar and I flew to DC for the 2013 session of JDRF Children's Congress (which, by the way, begins TODAY -- stay tuned!)  We arrived a few days early to spend time with my two younger brothers on the Delaware shore. I hadn't seen them since our move in 2006...suffice to say I was anxious to reconnect with them.

Sidenote: That cutie with the dark hair on the left is single.
Okay, he'll kill me for that, but I'm his big sister and this is my blog.
Also, I'm sure I will delete this once he sees it.

We had a wonderful time. As I write this post, I can honestly say that I truly understand why being "Aunt Wendy" to my brother's three children is such an awesome blessing. I fell head-over-heals in love with my niece and nephews. I don't think I can articulate in words the joy I experienced as I witnessed Sugar making memories with her cousins.

And who could forget Artie?

Because it's not a party without Artie!

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. We said our tearful good-byes, and my single brother drove us back to our old stomping ground, about 45 minutes south of Washington DC. 

Did I mention Artie?

We stopped to grab some lunch, and decided to have a little picnic under a tree so Artie could walk around a bit...and that's when reality came tumbling down.

I left all of Sugar's insulin in my other brother's 

refrigerator 3 hours away.

No biggie. We'll be surrounded by people who are also living with T1D in less than 24 hours. My pal Hallie is coming, and she'll bring a vial for us. I just know she will, because she gets it, and she's awesome like that.

Don't freak out, Wendy. Everything is fine.

FINE FINE FINE!!!!!

"Mom? I only have 14 units left."

Or so I thought.

Fourteen units wouldn't be enough to make it another 24 hours.

We needed to find some insulin ASAP...on a Sunday...far away from home.

We could do this.

We headed to the local Walgreens to see about an emergency refill. Which sounds like a perfect plan until they advise you that they don't have Apidra in stock. 

And neither did the next closest store.  Or the one after that.  Or any of the CVS stores, the Rite Aid stores, or the local Target.

I posted about our dilemma on Facebook, and the DOC sprung into action.  Offers from people who would drive as far as it would take to meet us half way, phone numbers from strangers offering to help, a million messages of love and support, calls for help on other status updates, twitter cries for insulin...

Suddenly I didn't feel so alone and so far away from home.

We found what seemed like the only 2 vials of Apidra within a 75 mile radius, so we hightailed it up there.

But they were closed for lunch.

By this time, poor Artie was struggling in the heat, not to mention that he recently had a knee reconstruction and his leg was bothering him after several hours in the car.  I had no idea how long he would end up sitting in the parking lot waiting, so I called an old friend who said she'd come pick us up and hopped in her car without a second thought.  

(Sidenote: THANK YOU, JACKIE AND BRENDAN!!!!)

Another tearful good-bye, luggage moved to her car, and inside Target we went...

"Mom...I'm low."

47.

Could this catastrophe get any worse?

Well, I mean aside from the fact that my phone battery showed less than 20% by this time.

The pharmacy reopened, and I handed over her insurance card...

"This card is expired, Ma'am."

Apparently I never put our new cards in my wallet.

Awesome.

But it worked out, and an hour later, we walked out with 2 fresh vials of insulin.

CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH?!?!?!?!?!?!?

And the people said AMEN!

We're in DC now with a pump full of insulin, and ready to get Children's Congress started!

Stay up to date by joining me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  You can also follow #JDRFcc13 on Twitter.  There are a few opportunities to watch the events LIVE via the JDRF Advocacy YouTube Channel and you can catch a special committee hearing on Wednesday, 7/10, at 2 pm.