Admiring our Differences....Diabetes Blog Week 2011 - Day 1

Today kicks off the start of the 2nd Annual Diabetes Blog Week!

The topic for the day is: Admiring Our Differences; pick a type of blogger who is different from you and share how they inspire you and why you admire them!

I first found the DOC in 2006, about a year after Charlotte was diagnosed with T1. Not sure what I was trying to search for, but I somehow stumbled upon six until me ...and I was hooked. Until that time I didn't really know any adults living with Type 1...and I had no idea what sort of impact T1 might actually have Charlotte's future. Although, there were many people who were "happy" to tell me all about the grim future that was in store for her...there were several people who were happy to discuss with me how sad it was that my little girl (yes, she was only 2 at the time) would never be able to grow up and have her own children...um, thanks! And I even had a "lovely" (eyes rolling to the back of my head) Case Manager from our insurance company tell me how Charlotte would ultimately end up losing her kidneys or legs before adulthood if I didn't get her blood sugar under control quickly (this was told to me within 2 months after her diagnosis during her "honeymoon" phase...I can only imagine what she'd have to say to me now with some of our glucocoastering we've been dealing with recently). So, clearly, finding Kerri's blog and reading through her posts was a welcome change from the doom and gloom that was being spouted off to me on a pretty routine basis.

More recently, I've also found a few other adult bloggers with T1... K2 at Diabetesaliciousness, Valerie at the dLife, and Kim at Texting My Pancreas. Each of these awesome ladies has something a little bit different to offer...yet each gives me hope that, despite the many challenges D will throw her way, my little girl will grow into a confident, healthy adult able to do whatever it is she so chooses.

As a D-mama, being able to read through the blogs of adults with T1 is invaluable. Charlotte is still young and might not be able (or willing) to express to me how D makes her feel, physically and emotionally. So being able to get even a glimpse into T1 from the person's (rather than parent) perspective has helped open my eyes to things that I may not have realized could be (or is) a concern of hers...and I imagine that this will be even more true as she gets older! These folks know D inside and out and to hear what they are thinking and feeling lets me know what my little girl might likely be thinking and feeling...and what might be in store for her down this long road ahead!