They can have their candy and eat it too!

First of all, I would just like to say that it has been a very long time since I have blogged. Life (and summer) just got in the way I guess. And what a great summer it was (if only it could have lasted a little longer!)
We drove out to Victoria, BC to visit my dad. The visit was great, even though the camping was cold and wet. We love Victoria, but oh what a LONG drive!
After that Ezekiel and I went to Edmonton to our wonderful friends who live at the top of the country but were in  Edmonton in August. Ezekiel got along so well with my friend's boys that we didn't want to leave. And even better one of their boys also has type 1 diabetes and they both have the same insulin pump. And all 3 boys had their Lenny the Lions from the Medtronic company.
Lastly Ezekiel and I went to Simonhouse Bible Camp. It was the first year he was old to attend kid's camp and I wasn't about to let diabetes stop him. Of course I had to tag along and work in the kitchen, but it was great and totally worth it to see all the fun he had. And just to let him be a regular kid. Diabetes ruins his life enough (needles, finger pokes, counting carbs anyone??) and makes him stand out enough (um not too many other mothers stay at birthday parties once kids are turning 7. And then there is the big ol' infusion set stuck to his tummy). I am really big on trying to let him be a kid. A regular kid. One who just happens to have diabetes.
Okay, that brings me to the candy part. (Sorry for the long intro, but I wanted to catch things up!)
Earlier this evening Shawn (my husband) gave Ezekiel and his friend a bit of money for helping him rake up all the crab apples on our lawn. They wanted to go to the store to spend it so we walked there and once there of course they wanted to get candy. So there is Ezekiel picking out his 40 (yes, that is right 40. you can buy a lot of candy with $2) 5 cent candies when his friend says 'hey that's Ezekiel on that poster.' Indeed the JDRF walk poster is hanging on the wall at the end of the candy counter (Ezekiel and another boy are on the poster as the youth ambassadors). I silently chuckled to myself at the fact that he was buying sooo much candy right next to the JDRF poster with his picture on it. And I couldn't help thinking all the people who I haven't had a chance to educate yet who would be thinking that he can't or shouldn't eat candy.
In thinking about it on the walk home I realized that before diabetes i probably only would have let him spend half of his money on candy, but with all he endures day in and day out, I have an extra sense of he needs to just be able to be a kid.' So for us trips to the candy store are in. Let them have their candy and eat it too I say! I cannot count how many times in the past 2.5 years I have uttered the phrase 'He can eat anything as long as he has insulin for it' It only took about 500 uses of said phrase and about 2 years for my mom to understand that. Now if only the rest of the world would too.
Of course the 5 cent candies in the bins don't come with carb labels so there was a bit of guessing on my part. As a result I was a bit worried about what his blood sugar would be like later, but kept reminding myself it is okay. If he comes in a bit high we can correct with insulin. A bit low and we have more candy (that we keep just for lows). Before starting this post though he was 7.4. That's right 7.4!! The most perfect number for this time of night. So take that diabetes!!!

A Little Bit Longer

Earlier today I came accross a short video of Nick Jonas talking about his role of National Chairperson for the JDRF walk.https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOqwiAi5awlc%26feature%3Dfeedrec_grec_index&h=14521
 So his song a little bit longer has been going through my head. A little bit longer. I hope that is all we have to wait for a cure for this stupid disease. I say stupid because it is. Just ask those moms who have lost children to it, some even recently. Just ask the 2 moms i was chatting with earlier; one dealing with really low blood sugars, the other dealing with really high blood sugars. Just ask me. Every day truly is a winding road and no 2 days are the same when you are dealing with type 1 diabetes, no matter how hard you work to make them the same. Some of us  have given this disease nicknames such as "randombetes" (because sometimes the blood sugars can seem so random despite doing everything the same) or "stupidbetes" because as I have just said it is stupid.
Yes, we have insulin. Yes, I am eternally grateful for it and to Banting and Best for their discovery. But let's face it. It is not a cure. As I start to think about planning for our JDRF walk (which we hold here in September), I have been thinking I should write something on how insulin is not a cure. Today I came accross another mom's blog which is about this very subject. I don't think I could say what she has said any better, so I will just direct you to what is already written:
http://betabuddies.blogspot.com/2011/05/not-even-close.html#comment-form
I would like to add one thing as this mom talks about all the needles. We are on a pump. Yes, we have less needles. Yes, there are advantages. But this too, is not a cure. The pump does not regulate things the way an artificial pancreas one day will. It is not magic. It is another method of giving insulin. And in some ways it is more work as you really do have to stay on top of things.
But hopefully with some more research and support we will only need his pump a little bit longer....