Inspired by Diabetes

Spring is here.

2011-04-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry that I haven't posted much on here. I was really sick towards the end of February. But who is glad for the nice weather? I know I am. That means I can start to get ready for tour de cure thats coming up in two months. Can you believe it? Only two left! And once again I will be riding the 25 mile, and this time my ankle won't get in the way. Lets hope that it doesn't have bad weather again. Three years in a row is good, don't you think? I'm going to get started up on my gold award soon, and once I get the planning all worked out, I'll tell you what it is! Well, I hope you all are having a wonderful time. Happy Easter!

Life in general

2010-12-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

There comes to be a time in a persons life when you realize how important the little things in life are. Or more importantly the little living creatures that you let into your life and call your own. I lost my beloved pet hedgehog. Her name was Laurel, she was four and a half years old and had cancer in her jaw, but she was more than just a pet. She was my mascot. Shortly after I had gotten her my mom found out she had diabetes. She was seriously with me through everything so you can see how saddening this could make me. But I think it makes me feel closer to her because she was here for me. And now, I am here for everyone out there who thinks they are alone. There is a such thing as hope even in everyone's darkest hour.

Girl Scout Silver Award Speech

2010-08-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

When the counsel had their lunch get together for girl scouts getting their silver and gold award, I had the honor of giving a speech.

I won't let it destroy me, neither should you

2010-08-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Missie, New Jersey

What's your inspiration?

On August 31 2008 I became diagnosed with diabetes (type 1). So what inspires me would be my experience with it.

What is one experience that taught you a lesson about diabetes that could help others?

To be honest everyday is a new experience that teaches me a lesson about my diabetes. However my one experience is when i get sick with the flu or even something simple, but to us diabetics we know nothing is ever simple. Although when i get sick the best way i can keep my sugar stable is by calling my endocrinologist, they work with me on changing some things around until i get better. They'll tell you the best way to maintain your sugar and what would be best to eat when sick and it really does help.

For example when i get sick my sugars always seem to sky rocket and i can never bring them down, which makes me feel a lot worse then i already do from being sick, however when my mom calls my doctor and they help me manage and or change things to make me feel a little more comfortable until i get better I've realized that my sugars are a lot better maintained and i also notice i get better quicker than expected. So when ever you feel sick even if its not something serious i would still call your doctor or whomever is in control of your diabetes because the littlest change can make the biggest difference.

How could our families, neighborhoods, or communities better prevent or live well with diabetes

Well for type 2 diabetics i guess the only advice i can give is to maintain a perfect diet and if necessary lose weight and maintain check ups with your doctor.

Therefore with type 1 diabetics i really don't believe there is anyway of preventing it but that doesn't mean its impossible to live with. Check ups like every three months with your endocrinologist is usually necessary and so is your A1C blood work, but do more than just that like exercise, be active, eat healthier. I'm telling you thats the best key for diabetes.

Most importantly for those with diabetes the world may seem impossible to live, but with a fight and believing even diabetes cant destroy us. Things may always be difficult but will never be impossible. Diabetes is a world wide thing, but its up to you on how you choose to live with it for those who do have it, but to me living with diabetes i believe that i can fight and live with it just fine, because i won't let it destroy me and neither should you.

Janette's Story

2010-07-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

Janette's Story is inspiring because she doesn't stop trying to help others even though she has diabetes herself. In her interview she makes a point about how a persons attitude can affect how they take care of themselves and it is so true! If you have the attitude that diabetes is going to prevent you from living your life to the fullest if you try and take care of it, you may decide to not take care of it at all which is not good. Then again, if you have the attitude that you are going to use it to your benefit and become a healthier person you will have an easier time taking control of your diabetes.

Remember, the glass isn't half empty, its half full. Always look on the more positive side of things and you'll go far.

~Gen

Diabetes Clubhouse

2010-07-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

The past two days I was a counselor at Diabetes Clubhouse for children ages 4-7. Clubhouse is a day camp for children who have diabetes and it is 2 days for 6 hours each day. Not all the children there had diabetes but the ones who didn't went with a sibling or their parent was a volunteer. This was my second year being a counselor. I had 4, 6 year old girls. Only 3 of them had diabetes. 2 of them checked their own glucose and I checked it for the one that didn't. When it came to insulin time, one of the girls was on an all day one so she didn't need it. And one of the girls gave her own shot, she only needed help with measuring how much she needed, which the nurses did.

The Theme this year was around the world, yesterday we "flew" to Africa where we made tribal masks and animal finger puppets. After that we "flew" to the South Sea Islands where we learned to hula dance and got lea's. Then we "flew" home just in time for the kids to be picked up. Today we "flew" to China where we made wind socks and sushi. After that, we cleaned up, said Xie xie (thank you in Chinese) and "flew" back to the USA to participate in the Olympics. Thanks to My Gym we had a sea saw, vault horse and a balance beam. The kids had a great time. They all got gold medals and then made flags for their own country. They had a flag parade and after that they made all us "grown ups" get on stage so they could give us gold medals. That's when the day came to end. I said bye to my girl with tears in my eyes, they were honestly the sweetest things alive.

Today all of the counselors including myself were dragging. What woke us all up and gave us enthusiasm was the energy of all of those adorable kids. I love helping, and even more so with kids. They were all very good at telling us when they needed something and if they were feeling high or low. I encourage anyone with diabetic kids in Utah ages 4-7 to sign them up next year. They have fun and learn a lot from it.

Don't let diabetes make you give up. You still have a strong body and will to fight with, just never give up hope.

~Gen Ellis

Tour De Cure and Summer School

2010-07-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

On June 12th I participated in the American Diabetes Association's Tour De Cure up in Brigham City. I rode 25 miles on a sprained ankle in the wind. I made it all the way through but I will admit I struggled the last 3-4 miles, we were head on in the wind and it wasn't going down any. I had an amazing time and seeing all the people there made me smile, because every single person was there for the same cause I am supporting. Tour De Cure is a wonderful wonderful event, I am going to ride again next year. On top of riding I also volunteered. I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, got there by 5:30 and worked at volunteer check in and rider T-shirts until 10:30 when the ride started. Unfortunately around 7 I felt really sick, and was on the verge of deciding not to ride. But I came prepared to ride, so ride I did!

For the past 4 Weeks I participated in my high schools summer school class for computer technology. In that class we were required to make two power points. One about myself, and the other about a school subject. I chose to make my presentation on I will let you guess

Do you have it yet? I'll give you a little more time.

It was on Diabetes. I called it "The Truth about Diabetes" because I have found in ALL of my classes that bring up the topic of diabetes, the teacher as much as I may like them, gets it wrong. I am hoping to use my power point in my up coming gold award, which first I need to get my prerequisites done, then send in the plans, but hopefully it will be that I go into elementary and middle school classes and teach them all about what diabetes is, and give them the truth to common misconceptions.

"Diabetes might mess with your body, and your head,
but don't let it take your spirit."- Anonymous

~Gen

Tracy's Story

2010-06-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Tracy's story is one very inspiring and close to my heart. Denial when you have yourself convinced is hard to get over. Tracy is right, you have a choice to ignore it or to keep yourself healthy. Everyone is part of the "Diabetes Family" even if they don't have it themselves. Choosing to realize your part in that family though, is a different story. Since I have found my part in the "Diabetes Family" I realize how much I have learned and grown since then. Like Tracy said, you are never ever alone.

~Gen Ellis

Patricia's Story

2010-05-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

What's your name?
Patricia

What do you do when your diabetes feels out of control?

When my bloodsugars rise I use a sliding scale on the proper doseage of inslin. When they drop low which can change in a heart beat I use glucose tablets. I always have them near my bed, in the kitchen, in mt purse, and in the car and in the spring and summer a bottle out doors on the patio table.

What's your inspiration?
Because I was 34 years old and carrying my last baby, I was in the doctors office and I looked at my chart and the urine test, tested at 2 plus. When the doctors came back into the room I said to him that I felt we should look into that and he agreed. After the baby was born he ran a glucose tolerance test, which it was positive for diabetes and he asumed I was a type two diabetic. Thirty 33 years later I found a doctor that listened to me about the way I felt as a teenager and she ran another test. Bingo, I have always been a type one diabetic.

I have had no complications because I believed in the Pyramid, meaning eating a balanced diet and taking quality vitaims and minerals. I'm reaching out to people, friends, family and the communities, to take the candy, pop, pizza programs out of the schools and teach everyone to eat healthy. I feel that there should be taxes in place on the unhealthy choses, such as ice cream, pop, candy, and pastries, to help the misfortunate without health insurance until we can change our habits. I believe children come first.

Mary's Diabetes Story

2010-04-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

When Mary was ten years old, her life was changed forever. One day while playing with her friends, she felt sick, and started going into a diabetic coma, and almost did not survive. She was rushed to the emergency department, and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Mary’s family did not have a lot of money, but they knew that controlling Mary’s blood sugar as much as possible was the best way to ensure Mary’s health did not deteriorate quickly. Much of their hard earned money went into Mary’s glucometer, test strips, and insulin. Mary, at age ten, learned to poke her finger daily, and administer her own insulin shots. She was very brave, but it was hard for her to adjust to this new lifestyle of counting carbohydrates and poking herself often.

I first met Mary in the sixth grade. She was a year younger than me, but I felt that she was older and more mature than me, and we got along great. We were inseparable. I first learned about diabetes through Mary. She was very knowledgeable about her disease, and always very good about checking her blood glucose often. She would often let me check my sugar as well, even though I often did not want to, I did it anyways out of curiosity. She showed me what to do in case her sugar got low, and also what to do if it got too high. When we hung out, I was in charge in case any emergencies occurred.

I never realized how Mary’s diabetes affected her until we got older. Whenever I wanted to go on a junk food splurge, Mary could not. I tried out for multiple sports, but Mary could not for the taxing physical exercise often gave her dizzy spells, and her blood sugar would drop too low and cause her to have to take multiple breaks. Mary had very crooked teeth, and she wished for the entire world that she could get braces. But her orthodontist told her that her jaw needed to be operated on first, but he was not willing to do the surgery because with her diabetes it would be too dangerous. During lunch Mary sometimes felt awkward checking her sugar with everyone around, so she would often go to a bathroom stall to check it. She did not like people staring at her, or thinking she was different. I believe those first growing up years were very difficult for Mary, when you just want to be a normal kid. But Mary’s parents were very involved, and she kept a log of her blood sugars, which her parents kept track of as well.

Eventually Mary had to move, about the time I moved away to college. The economy in Michigan had been suffering, and both her parents were laid off. They could not afford to live in their little house anymore, and Mary’s medical expenses were a hard toll on them. I talk to Mary every once in a while, and we still remain very good friends. I look back now and admire her for going through those awkward childhood years while trying to live with diabetes.

I chose nursing as a career, and Mary is a big reason for that decision. I wanted to help people, and her condition fascinated me. I remember she often let me use her for my school projects in my science classes; I often discussed diabetes for presentations and school projects. During my hospital shifts I run into diabetics that do not comply with treatments, and refuse to manage their diabetes, with great consequences to their health. I think of Mary and her diligence in managing her health, and I admire her all the more. I think to myself that if a ten year old kid can manage her diabetes, there is no reason a mature adult can’t.

I guess I could say that I grew up with diabetes. It is a condition that affects multiple people. Although I did not have diabetes, I learned to live with it when Mary and I were so close. We both had to go through learning how to manage it, counting our carbohydrates, and staying away from sweets. We both tested our blood sugar and counted the insulin doses. I love Mary and hope the best for her in her future, and am so proud of her for taking control of her diabetes and for not letting it control her life.

Tour De Cure

2010-04-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

This year on June 12th I will be riding in the Tour De Cure. This event is a fundraising event like most of the American Diabetes Association's events. My goal is $500 dollars and I'm already half way there! There is a family fun 1,3,5 and 10 miles each but that is a single one mile loop. There is also the other half of Tour De Cure which is riding around the city. For that there is a 25,60 and 100 mile rides. I will be riding the 25 mile one this year. I hope that next year I can ride the 60 and eventually get to 100 miles. The link to the main page is right here http://tour.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC530148030?pg=informational&fr_id=6894&type=fr_informational&sid=1061

Thanks for reading my blog and for supporting this cause!
~Gen

Diabetes Alert Day

2010-03-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today as we all know is March 23rd 2010. But what some may not know is that this number is also shared with national diabetes alert day. On this day I wanted to share some facts so that hopefully you will spread the word!

Every 21 seconds someone is diagnosed with diabetes

Of every 10 children, 6 will develop diabetes before the age of 18

7.8% of the population has diabetes just in the United States

Diabetes has killed more people than breast cancer and AIDS combined

I hope that those four facts have inspired you to do something about diabetes.
~Gen

Thankful that I am diabetic - Brian

2010-02-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

What's your name?
Brian

What lesson you want people to learn about diabetes?
I am an adult now and have been type 1 diabetic from age 11. I have learned to live with this disease for many years (over 35yrs). This disease is an awesome opportunity. For those with diabetes, we learn self-control in ways our non-diabetic friends can't understand. At first I thought it was not fair that everybody got anything they wanted to "eat or do" with no issues, but I could only do limited things. And would always have to take shots to survive, but family and friends didn't have to do that. I tried to sneak things I shouldn't have. I rebelled and did just opposite what I knew was right with the presumption I was probably going to die anyway. I finally questioned, "am I handicapped or invalid"? I would be if I continue- OR - I could be normal and embrace it.

Now I have learned to control the swings, and learned that I can schedule any food I want or eat (candy or cake) as long as I know how many carbs I am going to eat and account for it. We have to also look at total units used each day and average to be same always. Maybe I give up a meal for a salad or green beans if I had cake. I have also learned that when I get low blood sugar, I don't need to eat candy bars that get me way out of balance. A better solution is to take one glucose tablet for every 10 MG DL that I need. So if I am at 40mgdl, then I would take six glucose tablets wait half an hour and then test and rebalance. I can keep my levels always around 100 without any side effects. So far, after 35 years still nothing yet to hold me down. If I want a candy bar, read the total carbs on the wrapper and take the amount of insulin needed, and enjoy a candy bar - but eat less casserole.

Living with diabetes helps my self-esteem, because I know that with proper self-control and use of insulin, I can live a perfectly normal life. And nobody else knows as well how to do that - that is not diabetic. I can also maintain my weight better because I know how many units are used during the day, and if it was a little high, I can eat a little bit less the next day so I can maintain a healthy weight. Those without self-control and a reason to count carbs get fat. Went to a motivational speech by a quadriplegic that told me he was glad not to be diabetic, that he didn't have to give shots every day. He was glad to not use arm or legs. Well I look and act normal to others with minimal drain on their time.

I am thankful that I am diabetic. I would not want it any other way, given the choice now.

Martin's Story-Take care of yourself for your family

2010-02-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

Fahina's Story

2009-12-07T15:46:00.001-08:00

Fahina's story really inspired me, I never knew how much of a risk Tongan's had of getting diabetes. One of the things that I connected with is that you don't have to give up eating what you normally eat like ice cream or chocolate you just need to balance it with something healthy. Diabetes is all about balance, in a way you could say its like walking on a balance beam, if you lean too far to one side you start to stumble but if you are fast enough you can bring yourself back upright. The key is to balance your foods, and your exercise. Play video games, they are fun but you also should get outside and take a nice long walk with your family or friends, make a habit of it because your habits become your lifestyle and as we all know some habits are hard to break.

John's Story

2009-12-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

John's story has inspired me to keep fighting diabetes. He has been effected by it for a much longer time than I have. Never once have I seen him stop fighting diabetes and that encourages me to do the same, and never stop fighting.

Press Conference at the Columbus Library

2009-11-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

Today I spoke at a press conference promoting the opening of the new campaign The Faces Of Diabetes. This is what I told them:

Men and women, young and old, you and me. We are all affected by diabetes whether it is you, family, friend even your friend's family. I am here to tell you how my life is affected by diabetes.

It was a hot and sticky June evening, we had all just eaten dinner at my Nana and Papa’s house. My mom started to feel nauseated. My Nana had had diabetes for over 20 years so she checked my mom’s glucose, it was a lot higher than it should be. When we came home my mom scheduled an appointment with her doctor. When she got home from the doctors she had been diagnosed with diabetes.

Turns out she may have had diabetes up to 5 years before she was actually diagnosed. This was not much of a surprise because of her family history. After that day all of our lives changed.

We ate out less, used more vegetables in our cooking and got more exercise. I like playing Dance Dance revolution and you get exercise from that. When I found out about all the changes that had to be made I got scared. I didn’t know what diabetes really was at the time. All I knew was that people I knew had it.

In the same summer on July 26^th my Nana passed away from complications of diabetes.

Now I know that diabetes is a disease but I am a Scorpio and Scorpios hold grudges. I was mad that my Nana had died because of it so I wanted to do something to get revenge.

The next year when I was in 6^th grade I started my Girl Scout bronze award on diabetes awareness. I put up posters with interesting facts and “know your risk” fliers in local places. In doing this I not only educated the public, I educated my family and myself as well. I was then able to better understand what diabetes was and what my mom had to do to keep her diabetes under control. 2007 was the year I became involved with the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The event was Step Out for Diabetes, I ran t-shirts for walker check in.

I am committed to help fight diabetes and doing all that I can to prevent people from getting it.

It is 2009 and I am now 14. I am still a girl scout and I am working on my silver award. I have a blog that is used to collect stories. The theme is “What inspires you to fight diabetes?”

I have interviewed people with a camera at step out and I have had people submit stories to my website, Inspiredbydiabetes.blogspot.com.

I think by creating this blog people will see what others are going through.
These stories don’t have to come from someone with diabetes. It can come from a friend or family member that is close to them. People who have diabetes need to understand that they are not alone and that there is hope. Every day I try to be as healthy as I can and I encourage people to do the same.

Let’s fight diabetes together.

Talking to a camera was kinda scary but I know that i am getting the word out. I also got the American Diabetes Association Teaching Award for educating the public about diabetes. The interviewer asked me how I got involved and how diabetes affects me. I told her that it was because of my mom and my nana. Thanks for all the wonderful support!

~Gen

Tell Your Story

2009-11-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Elli - Inspired by Her Mother

2009-10-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

What's your name?
Elli

What's your inspiration?
My beautiful mother inspires me to prevent diabetes. She was diagnosed 32 years ago with Type I diabetes and, in recent years, has been hit hard by the disease. My mom raised my brother and me on her own and she took every precaution to ensure her diabetes was under control. Unfortunately, my mom's diabetes is so advanced and she has had numerous health problems that were unable to be prevented. She lives each day with an unmatched strength and optimisim that inspires me to do as much as I can with my own life. Even with her declining health, my mother still has the priorities of a selfless mother: to let her kids' dreams come true.

Although it is hard to be away from her (I live in Utah to go to school and she is home in Colorado), she encourages me to follow my dreams and continue to go to school, no matter how sick she gets. Her selflessness and encouragement inspires me every day. Whenever I get down, I think about my mom and how much strength and beauty she radiates even in the face of this ugly disease. I think about the sacrifices she made so I could be happy and healthy.

What's one lesson you want people to learn about diabetes?
One person with diabetes affects an entire army of others. Because of my mom's diabetes, my grandma has donated her kidney (for a transplant in 1999), my aunt has taken her in her home so she is closer to the better doctors in her neighborhood, and all her friends from various parts of the country have flown in to take care of my mom. It seems everyone in my mom's life is knowledgable about the disease, which is the first step to preventing diabetes.

I think the best and most effective power is knowledge. The more people learn about diabetes, the more managable it becomes. The more people you have in your life that support you after you've been diagnosed, the fear and trauma will subside. You have to gather your loved ones and teach them. Everyone has to learn together and diabetes has to be a team effort in order for it to be controlled, in my experience. All the people that love my mom the most know how to calculate insulin levels or take blood sugars.

Little things like that make my mom's condition more managable for her.

Step Out

2009-10-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

On September 26th I was at Step Out For Diabetes walk. I collected some stories thanks to you who came my project is becoming an overwhelming success. While I was there I met some really cool people with very interesting stories. I also had over 1000 fliers with me that day, and I maybe came home with 500. Thanks to all who helped me and also to Grant. He has helped a lot with this and I wouldn't even have a blog without him.
~Gen

Inspired by a community of support

2009-09-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

What's your name?
Jeffrey

What's your inspiration?
Inspiration is an interesting word. What truly inspires us… Some would say that inspiration is the act which causes our mind to reach unusual activity or creativity. While I am very interested in a cure I know now that my diabetes has had a profound impact on my life and in choices I make. Because of diabetes I have reach out to hundreds of lives and hopefully assisted them through hard times.

Throughout my life I have had many experiences that assisted me in “getting back on track” when I fall off the wagon. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for over 15 years now and continue to struggle with it daily. Most recently, what has truly inspired me was an invitation to go back to a diabetes camp in Nevada as a counselor. The first thought was do I really want to spend a week of my vacation going to this camp for kids… I am truly blessed and happen to have more then enough vacation so I decided sure why not go.

I found a community of support. People who had experiences the same as mine and could assist me in challenges I was going through while at the same time I was able to assist them with challenges they are going through. It is this collaboration of ideas, methodologies, and systems which produces individuals who can manage their chronic illness.

Then there was after… When I say after I am talking after camp and I found I did not have the support group I just had. I became more active in looking for a support group here in Utah. What I did find was education groups, educators, doctors, and so on. All of which are amazing in their own right but really did not help me find the same sense of community. So I went back for a different weeklong camp and then another. I have been to 4 camps in the past year and they are amazing. To help me fill my time I have been going to support groups and noticed they were doing the same education that I have received for the past 15 years. Not to say new advancements in technology are not brought up, because they are, but it is the same type of stuff.

Another Diabetic and I have been talking after the classes and decided we wanted to have a group for Type 1 Diabetics for a few reasons. The first being it does not exist. The second is we want a group which is activity based. We believe through the activities will allow people to open up become friends and then more comfortable to talk about what is really going on in their lives. We are at the beginning stages of creating the new “Injection Connection” for teens and adults. I am hoping we can include the true design of this new group here once it is more formalized.

What's one lesson you want people to learn about diabetes?
So what does all of this mean? Well I have found the more active I am in the community the more I actually care about being a good example, helping others, and taking care of myself. It is when we act as a group we have more power than one can imagine. I would like to end my long winded post with the following… In managing any chronic illness (for me Diabetes) Henry Ford was correct when he said “if you think you can then you can. If you think you cannot then you can’t. In either case you are correct”. Lets all think we can and together we can live a healthier life while we look for a cure!

If you have type 1 diabetes and want to assist in the creation of the Injection Connection, have ideas for activities, want to join once it is more formalized please feel free to reach me at jeffrey.r.r.rands@xo.com or 801-928-9070 (txt ok).

Inspired by my family

2009-09-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

What's your name?
Joyce

What's your inspiration?
The thing that inspires me most to control my diabetes is my family. When I was diagnosed with diabetes 3 years ago it meant a lot of changes for me and for my family. We didn’t go through the house and throw out all the junk food, but we didn’t buy more when it was gone. We had been moving towards a healthier diet over the last few years, but we still found ourselves eating fast food fairly regularly because of our busy schedules.

The biggest change for me was that I stopped drinking soda and made healthier choices at lunch time. My family is very helpful and supportive. We have all learned a lot about controlling my diabetes. They both walk with me in the evenings. My teenage daughter doesn’t ask to have a lot of snacks in the house that I like and shouldn’t eat. My husband always makes sure that we have some carbs and lots of non-starchy vegetables at meal times. They both watch to make sure that if my glucose is getting low I eat something, even when I don’t feel like it. Whenever I start to feel like things are out of control they are always there to help me get back on track.

What's one lesson you want people to learn about diabetes?
Know your risk and know the symptoms. If you think you might have diabetes see your doctor and get tested. I was fortunate enough to have my diabetes diagnosed and treated relatively early before I had any complications. I’ve heard too many stories about people who find out they have diabetes only after it causes serious complications like a stroke, vision impairment, neuropathy and even death. One thing that people need to know about diabetes is that putting off the diagnosis won't make it go away and not knowing might kill you.

Kjazz interview

2009-09-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

On September 11th I was interviewed on Kjazz news at nine. This was a very fun experience for me. The night before the interview I talked with myself and thought about important things I would need to say like what I was doing. Why I was doing this and were my blog was. For the interview I was representing my Girl Scout troop, My family and the American Diabetes Association. Since I represent my family by just being me I decided to wear a Step Out shirt and my Girl Scout vest. Some of the questions I was asked were why am I collecting stories. I am doing this for my mom and my Nana is how i replied. It was very scary knowing that all of my state could be watching me but once I was done I knew that what I said was sure to draw some attention to my blog and I just hope that get some stories after Step Out on Saturday September 26th. I will be collecting stories there so I hope that soon there will be some stories on my blog.

Silver Award

2009-09-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

My name is Gen and I am working on my Girl Scout Silver Award. I am trying to spread diabetes awareness so I am collecting peoples stories on what it is like to have diabetes or what it is like to live with someone who has diabetes. These stories will be used for an educational purpose so that people understand that diabetes is affecting people all over the world.

My life is affected by diabetes and that is why I am working on this project. My mom has diabetes and my Nana died of complications from diabetes. So please help this good cause and tell your story.
~Gen

Collecting stories at StepOut SLC, UT

2009-09-11T07:11:00.001-07:00

StepOut - Registergreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Will you be at StepOut this year? It's on Saturday, September 26 and we'll be walking from This is The Place Monument to Utah's Hogle Zoo! Check-in starts at 8:30 AM and the walk itself starts at 10:00 AM.

I will be there for sure. This year is special though because I'll be collecting your stories there! I want to know why you walk at StepOut. Is it for a friend or family member? Do you do it for yourself or to set an example? What inspires you to StepOut?!

Ginny's Story and Q&A Service

2009-09-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ginny Burns is a local nurse who has quite the story. She has worked with people with diabetes for the last 20 years and helps the American Diabetes Association and Utah Association of Diabetes Educators. Plus she has type 1 diabetes for 40 years!

You can ask her questions about diabetes in Utah by visiting her site -- Ask Ginny about Diabetes.