D-Blog week 2014: Day 1

I'm excited to be participating in D-Blog week again this year.  I was introduced to many new (to me) bloggers last year and continue to read about some wonderful people!

This year, the first topic is as Follows:

Let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by talking about the diabetes causes and issues that really get us fired up. Are you passionate about 504 plans and school safety? Do diabetes misconceptions irk you? Do you fight for CGM coverage for Medicare patients, SDP funding, or test strip accuracy? Do you work hard at creating diabetes connections and bringing support? Whether or not you “formally” advocate for any cause, share the issues that are important to you.
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Of course any parent or PWD is concerned about any of the above.  We would all love for our treasured children to be safe during the school day, with minimal worry.  We would love to know that if they are having on off day because their sugars are too high, or too low, such that their performance is affected, that they will not be penalized for something out of their control, that if they did poorly because of blood sugar, then it will not be reflected in their grading.  I certainly don't see this as a scapegoat, that if my child were to do poorly on something I wouldn't automatically assume or "blame" diabetes, but I would ask what the readings were before testing time.  Its well known, that blood sugar levels affect a number of things such as concentration, thinking, and sometimes actually doing an activity.  I would like to know that there are people in the building that can recognize highs and lows; people who know my daughter well enough to see when something just isn't quite right' people who know what to do or where to look when something is wrong; people who genuinely care about the well being of my child.  We're lucky light that!  I have not had any major issues with our school.  Everyone is very accommodating and will go out of their way to ensure Amy is cared for and included.  Just today I received a picture of a muffin and carb count of a recipe for a snack that a teacher brought in from the Kids Eat Smart Program.  She was making sure that Amy was included.  Yesterday a classmate brought in their mini cotton candy maker for show and tell, and I received a call describing the amount of sample each kid would receive and how many carbs in each teaspoon of mixture.  The staff at the school have been amazing.  I'm lucky that this isn't an issue for us.

Although I don't feel I formally advocate for any cause, we are lucky enough to be in town for Amy's Endo appointment that we will be participating in this years TELUS walk to Cure diabetes.  If you would like to make a donation to Team Amy, you can do so here and help make our first fundraiser a success!  I'm also canvassing our neighbourhood for the Canadian Diabetes Association this May, again a first time event for me.

One thing that I do see as essential is that all people with diabetes deserve the same access to care and support.  If you live in Canada and believe the same, please sign the  Diabetes Charter for Canada