Life in 4-D
Edit: Pictures! I have pictures! Photos from that Team Photogenic took at the Gala are also posted below.
1. Children's Diabetes Network's Teem Seminar:
Saturday morning started off with the local diabetes education and support group's seminar on teens with diabetes. There were 3 panelists (I was not one of them) who spoke in front of a group of parents. Josh, M.D. who had diabetes since age 8, one was a woman who has had diabetes since age 11 and has an 18 month old daughter, and one is a senior in high school diagnosed at age 14.
It's always nice hearing other people's perspectives and what they want to say to parents of teens because it gives me ideas for messages that I should incorporate into what I say. One of the most important things I think that was emphasized during the seminar was respect. Josh spoke a bit about how he thought it was really important that whenever parents approach their kids about diabetes, whether good or bad, they will have a much better time at communicating with them if they treat them with respect. It seems obvious when you read it, of course, but you would be surprised at how often I encounter teens who feel like their parents still treat them like they are 5 years old and don't want to give them any respect or any responsibility. Sometimes it seems that parents look at teens as the disease and complications, rather than a person who needs compassion and understanding and patience.
I also saw Nora Coon, a 17 year old who just wrote a book called The Diabetes Game. I haven't read it, but Nora's cool and you should totally check out the book. Nora and I used to help with child care at CDN when I was still living in Portland.
And I also saw our local Minimed rep, Kendall. Who, if he ever reads this blog, will discover that I think he's really cute. But way too old for me (he's 27). And he's a Beaver (he went to OSU, the archnemesis of U of O). Sad...
2. 7th Annual JDRF Gala:
This was So Much Fun! I love the gala! I got all dressed up in my bridesmaid dress from my cousin Lauren's wedding in 2004 (thank goodness Lauren picked a dress I can actually wear to more than just her wedding!) and drove to Portland's Governor Hotel. Special guests of the evening: former Portland Trailblazer Chris Dudley (yes, he is very
tall- and that's him receiving an award to your left) and Allan Spiegal, M.D. (director of the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases - he's the one giving a speech to your right). Very exciting. We raised $310,000! A Harley Davidson sold for $10,000! And a wonderful hand-made quilt made by some local kids with diabetes was auctioned off as well. The bid for that item was so exciting. The price kept going up and up, and then it came down to two bidders. Back and forth, back and forth. People cheering, the air thick with intense anticipation. I, personally, was jumping up and down the entire time. Finally, one bidder just couldn't outbid the other and the quilt SOLD! For $5,000! People were so excited and the winning bidder received a standing ovation from the ENTIRE room. It was AWESOME!
1. Children's Diabetes Network's Teem Seminar:
Saturday morning started off with the local diabetes education and support group's seminar on teens with diabetes. There were 3 panelists (I was not one of them) who spoke in front of a group of parents. Josh, M.D. who had diabetes since age 8, one was a woman who has had diabetes since age 11 and has an 18 month old daughter, and one is a senior in high school diagnosed at age 14.
It's always nice hearing other people's perspectives and what they want to say to parents of teens because it gives me ideas for messages that I should incorporate into what I say. One of the most important things I think that was emphasized during the seminar was respect. Josh spoke a bit about how he thought it was really important that whenever parents approach their kids about diabetes, whether good or bad, they will have a much better time at communicating with them if they treat them with respect. It seems obvious when you read it, of course, but you would be surprised at how often I encounter teens who feel like their parents still treat them like they are 5 years old and don't want to give them any respect or any responsibility. Sometimes it seems that parents look at teens as the disease and complications, rather than a person who needs compassion and understanding and patience.
I also saw Nora Coon, a 17 year old who just wrote a book called The Diabetes Game. I haven't read it, but Nora's cool and you should totally check out the book. Nora and I used to help with child care at CDN when I was still living in Portland.
And I also saw our local Minimed rep, Kendall. Who, if he ever reads this blog, will discover that I think he's really cute. But way too old for me (he's 27). And he's a Beaver (he went to OSU, the archnemesis of U of O). Sad...
2. 7th Annual JDRF Gala:This was So Much Fun! I love the gala! I got all dressed up in my bridesmaid dress from my cousin Lauren's wedding in 2004 (thank goodness Lauren picked a dress I can actually wear to more than just her wedding!) and drove to Portland's Governor Hotel. Special guests of the evening: former Portland Trailblazer Chris Dudley (yes, he is very
tall- and that's him receiving an award to your left) and Allan Spiegal, M.D. (director of the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases - he's the one giving a speech to your right). Very exciting. We raised $310,000! A Harley Davidson sold for $10,000! And a wonderful hand-made quilt made by some local kids with diabetes was auctioned off as well. The bid for that item was so exciting. The price kept going up and up, and then it came down to two bidders. Back and forth, back and forth. People cheering, the air thick with intense anticipation. I, personally, was jumping up and down the entire time. Finally, one bidder just couldn't outbid the other and the quilt SOLD! For $5,000! People were so excited and the winning bidder received a standing ovation from the ENTIRE room. It was AWESOME!
The kids hold their quilt during the auction.
3. Teens in Transition Focus Group:
Tonight (Thursday), I drove back up to Portland for a focus group on a new Teens in Transition support-group-slash-education-series for high school seniors about to graduate and enter the Real World. I was there with Dr. Mike Fulop (a psychologist, who also has diabetes), Cheryl Sheppard (former E.D. for our JDRF chapter and E.D. of the diabetes camp), two camp counselors Lobos (Megan) and Coheed (James), Debbie (a social work at Dr. Fulop's office), and my friend Ali (and her boyfriend, Matt- who is seriously like the coolest boyfriend. He was asking me questions about Symlin and about how it is having diabetes as a teen... Wow. He's kind of like a Chris. Only, you know, not.).
It will be interesting to see how things go with the group. We (the counselors, Ali and I) will probably be doing the majority of the facilitating and working with teens since we're close in age and have diabetes. It will be exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing how this helps teens (or if it helps at all). This project is actually the brainchild of Dr. James Hansen (my late endocrinologist). It seems that most of why the diabetes community is so strong in Portland is because we are all trying to accomplish the things Dr. Hansen wanted to do, but couldn't.
4. Allison's A1C.
And the winner is.... 7.4.
Eh, not too shabby.
;-)
And now back to our regular scheduled Hiatus.
posted by Allison at 8:57 PM
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