No Holiday from Diabetes.
So I have to admit, after working a fairly feverish pace for the past few months I was looking forward to a bit of a holiday. I was looking forward to a break from the office and from the relentless flow of email with respect to the planning of H2V.
Every summer our family heads Thetis Island for our annual retreat - my mom, brother, sister and all their kids. We spend our days swimming (Pilkey Point is preferred), crabbing, fishing, biking, volley ball, having ice-cream at the Marina and card games and spoons into the late evening. I think the parents enjoy it as much as the kids. No TV’s, no schedules, no appointments – just time to play.
As we were sitting on the Kuper Is Ferry almost at Thetis I received an email from a friend that completely surprised me. My friends Dale and Pam’s daughter Margaux has just been diagnosed with type 1. I couldn’t believe it – Dale and Pam have been very helpful in providing great advise in the planning of our event and now they are dealing with helping their daughter navigate the demands of type 1 diabetes.
I remembered back to that day when Taylor was diagnosed and remembered how angry I was, that my daughter was going to be faced with a life altering illness, and as the endocrinologist told me she will have it the rest of her life OR until we find a cure. Well I certainly was not going to let my daughter live with this the rest of her life. And it was from that day that I made a promise that I was going to do everything that I could to find a cure for Taylor before she graduated from high school.
I am comforted to see that Dale and Pam share the same passion and commitment for fixing things that aren’t right. They have already started the work that is required to help find a cure. They have set-up a special donation page for Margaux, of which all proceed will go to H2V/JDRF. https://www.jdrf.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=ride.pledge&participant_id=758442A4-A239-5631-5AD6D0B7E8D97252
Please forward this link to friends and family and make a donation and let Margaux know that we are all behind her and the other kids living with Type 1.
So back to Thetis Island – most mornings I would head out early and catch the 1st ferry off the Island so I could log some miles and get my hours in the saddle. If I stayed on the island I would have to ride from the North point to the south point 9 times to log 100K – pretty boring and to many hills. So I would ride from Chemanis down to Nanaimo or up to Mill Bay and all the little the little side streets in between, like Yellow Point. It was so nice to have a change of scenery.
One day when I was heading back to the Island I noticed another rider and fellow islander – his name is Steen. Steen is a true inspiration. He has his tricked out Trek road bike with carbon hubs and full race kit onboard. Steen at the young age of 60 is still racing time trials in Squamish and has ridden across America. We had the polite conversation about biking and then I mentioned my big adventure and gave him one of my H2V cards. The trip is brief so we didn’t have time to talk and off we went in our own directions. That night I received an email from Steen. I have to thank Steen for his kind comments and encouragement for our ride, I also found out that Steen has three nieces in Burnaby, all of which have with type 1.
On my last day of riding I thought to my self (lots of time to think) just how prevalent and devastating this disease is. I very seldom get through a discussion about H2V with people that doesn’t end up with them telling me they have diabetes, their sibling or family member has diabetes or their best friend has diabetes. Canada has the 3rd highest rate of juvenile diabetes in the world and it is increasing by 3-5% per year with the greatest rise occurring in 5-9 year olds? Diabetes (type 1 & 2) is the one single disease that has the ability to collapse our health care system.
So yes I had a fantastic holiday with my family – lots of fun times and memories. Unfortunately diabetes was with me the whole time as well – just a constant reminder of what we are doing and why we are doing it.
To raise awareness, raise money and find a cure for this pervasive and insidious disease.
Every summer our family heads Thetis Island for our annual retreat - my mom, brother, sister and all their kids. We spend our days swimming (Pilkey Point is preferred), crabbing, fishing, biking, volley ball, having ice-cream at the Marina and card games and spoons into the late evening. I think the parents enjoy it as much as the kids. No TV’s, no schedules, no appointments – just time to play.
As we were sitting on the Kuper Is Ferry almost at Thetis I received an email from a friend that completely surprised me. My friends Dale and Pam’s daughter Margaux has just been diagnosed with type 1. I couldn’t believe it – Dale and Pam have been very helpful in providing great advise in the planning of our event and now they are dealing with helping their daughter navigate the demands of type 1 diabetes.
I remembered back to that day when Taylor was diagnosed and remembered how angry I was, that my daughter was going to be faced with a life altering illness, and as the endocrinologist told me she will have it the rest of her life OR until we find a cure. Well I certainly was not going to let my daughter live with this the rest of her life. And it was from that day that I made a promise that I was going to do everything that I could to find a cure for Taylor before she graduated from high school.
I am comforted to see that Dale and Pam share the same passion and commitment for fixing things that aren’t right. They have already started the work that is required to help find a cure. They have set-up a special donation page for Margaux, of which all proceed will go to H2V/JDRF. https://www.jdrf.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=ride.pledge&participant_id=758442A4-A239-5631-5AD6D0B7E8D97252
Please forward this link to friends and family and make a donation and let Margaux know that we are all behind her and the other kids living with Type 1.
So back to Thetis Island – most mornings I would head out early and catch the 1st ferry off the Island so I could log some miles and get my hours in the saddle. If I stayed on the island I would have to ride from the North point to the south point 9 times to log 100K – pretty boring and to many hills. So I would ride from Chemanis down to Nanaimo or up to Mill Bay and all the little the little side streets in between, like Yellow Point. It was so nice to have a change of scenery.
One day when I was heading back to the Island I noticed another rider and fellow islander – his name is Steen. Steen is a true inspiration. He has his tricked out Trek road bike with carbon hubs and full race kit onboard. Steen at the young age of 60 is still racing time trials in Squamish and has ridden across America. We had the polite conversation about biking and then I mentioned my big adventure and gave him one of my H2V cards. The trip is brief so we didn’t have time to talk and off we went in our own directions. That night I received an email from Steen. I have to thank Steen for his kind comments and encouragement for our ride, I also found out that Steen has three nieces in Burnaby, all of which have with type 1.
On my last day of riding I thought to my self (lots of time to think) just how prevalent and devastating this disease is. I very seldom get through a discussion about H2V with people that doesn’t end up with them telling me they have diabetes, their sibling or family member has diabetes or their best friend has diabetes. Canada has the 3rd highest rate of juvenile diabetes in the world and it is increasing by 3-5% per year with the greatest rise occurring in 5-9 year olds? Diabetes (type 1 & 2) is the one single disease that has the ability to collapse our health care system.
So yes I had a fantastic holiday with my family – lots of fun times and memories. Unfortunately diabetes was with me the whole time as well – just a constant reminder of what we are doing and why we are doing it.
To raise awareness, raise money and find a cure for this pervasive and insidious disease.
2 Comments:
Kyle,
Me again ...when I read the head line ...my brain responded , that is correct...diabetes 24/7 ...no holiday : finger pricking, testing for ketones , when I am not well , Dr's and Diabetes Clinic visits,lab visits, responding to insulin pump and sensor warnings, making certain medical supplies available, including glucose pills and glucagon , carb counting and or weighing food, reading labels ,exercise ( NO , when glucose numbers High or too Low) etc. etc....no wonder some of us may suffer from depression because we are in overwhelm...then I read further and during our recent trip to Newfoundland and Labrador we had the same experience as you meeting people touched by this disease...our first one at the Airport Hotel in Halifax; our delightful waitress understood , why I did not want added sugar in my oatmeal ; she and her daughter both have type 1 ...I understand , that Cheryl has sent her a personal invite to the Halifax Kick Off.Further in our Labrador travel , I met a US tourist , who recently was diagnosed and became an insulin pumper; our B&B host in Cartwright , the end of the gravel in Labrador road has type 2 ; met many more people with diabetes in Newfoundland , including the very kind security fellow at Deer Lake airport ...my pump beeped, as I went to the security gate and he knew instantly the reason ; I hope he will e-mail me one day !!
It helps to share one's self....an opportunity to meet very nice understanding people...
See you and TEAM soon in Salmon Arm ;-)
Nel.
Hi Nel
It is always nice to hear from you and invigorating to have such passionate supporter. We need more Nels in the world.
You are absolutely correct about the “No Holiday” from the management of diabetes. I prepared Taylor this morning to go away with some close family friends for the weekend and I had to pack extra supplies anticipating the worst. What if she loses her meter, what if she pulls out her infusion set while she is swimming. What if the batteries die in her pump… a lot of “what if’s” so I packed her up with a back up supply of everything – because diabetes never takes a holiday. The management is relentless.
Thanks Nel - keep in touch and keep the passion.
Kyle
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