My 30!

1. The illness I live with is: Type 1 Diabetes, I am a mama pancreas...my 7 year old has T1D.

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: Lily was dx'd on October 7, 2007 at 3 years old.

3. But I had symptoms since: One day before. Lily was only 350 at diagnoses.

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Losing control of something. Acceptance that this cannot be controlled. I am still struggling with this.

5. Most people assume: That we have things under control. Ha! That is HI-LARIOUS!

6. The hardest part about mornings are: Racing the clock. Giving insulin early enough. Getting everyone, including myself, out the door on time with all D stuff done.

7. My favorite medical TV show is:  I am more of a forensics/murder/mystery kinda girl so I guess Body of Proof would equate in my book?

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: My cell phone. It's glued to me for multiple reasons...to keep me in contact with anyone that has Lily and my boyfriend lives out of state.

9. The hardest part about nights are: Getting up to check Lilyboo. It's hard to drag myself upstairs but I am convinced if I don't, she will die. Morbid? Yes. But true nonetheless.

10. Each day I take 1 pills & 0 vitamins: She takes only insulin every second of every day. It's her life saver. Literally.

11. Regarding alternative treatments I: Zilch...but it makes me SUPER happy when people inform of how to "cure" her (sarcasm here folks).

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Invisible for sure. I love that she blends.

13. Regarding working and career: It's hard to work full time, be a single parent, and a pancreas all at once. I am still figuring out how to balance all the balls but it gets easier each day. Lily wants to be a doctor and a rock star and an actress. Maybe she'll be an actress/rocker that plays a doctor on TV? Who knows.

14. People would be surprised to know: Not much. I tend to put it ALL out there and get my ass chewed frequently for it. 

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: It's not new for us. We are 3 years and 11 months in. The hardest part in the beginning was mourning the death of a "healthy" child and watching my friends just drop their kids off at camp, daycare, playdates, even ballet...something I could no longer do without tons and tons of background work and then 100% fear.

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: She has done and will continue to do it all.

17. The commercials about my illness:  We really don't see too much commercials on the Disney channel.

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: Eating without doing math.

19. It was really hard to have to give up: Nothing except just life without diabetes...without thinking about something 24/7/365.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: Blogging!!

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: We do feel normal for the most part. I guess of whole day of not stabbing my child's beautiful skin with a lancet would be nice.

22. My illness has taught me: Everything. Everything. I have learned not to judge. I have learned to be more sensitive to others needs. I have learned a form of patience. I have learned to live with multiple factors dictating my every move and that of Lily's. 

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: "What's that thing on her?" Meaning her pump. I hate it for her. She feels uncomfortable.

24. But I love it when people: Tell her it is so cool that she has all of these gadgets!

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: Just the word hope. I have it tattooed on me with blue circle. I love having hope...it gets me through a day.

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: Your child is going to live a long, happy, healthy life. Just slow down, accept it, take it all in and life will return to not being all about D.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: How much my girls have learned about healthy food and the good choices they make for what they eat!

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: Lily's whole class made her cards when she was diagnosed and all of the moms got together and bought us tons of books on D. It was a nice show of support!

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I love being part of the DOC and I want to educate people on what it is like to live with D.

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: As though I have accomplished part of my duty to make people aware of life with D!

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