The other day I was walking home over the bridge from down town Charleston. As I got to the top of the bridge this young guy gave me an unsolicited high five. Immediately afterwards his lady friend did the same. I have seen them a few times before, so I am still trying to figure out if they were impressed with the fact that I do this most days or if the sight of this grey haired guy carrying a full pack was an inspiration to them both. The reality of the situation may be that it was a sympathy high five at the fact that I am able to make it to the top with out the aid of a mobility device. They may have been just encouraging me like a mother does when her new baby takes his or her first steps.
The mornings are extremely cathartic for me. Mt wife drops me at the shell station in Mount Pleasant and I strap on the pack and off I go. Watching the sun come up over Charleston Harbor is a great way to start the day and an hour and fifteen minutes later I am usually walking into my office in down town Charleston. At the end of the day I do it all over again and it feels great.
This morning I had a different experience. It was a beautiful sunny 65 degrees and I got to walk with my daughter Halley. We checked her blood sugar, stopped at Starbucks and then headed up the bridge. On the down side heading in to Charleston we looked down and the water was like glass. We saw a pod of dolphins and some resident pelicans flying under the bridge. A great start to a great day.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
TYPE 1 DIABETES INFORMATION
Statistics
- As many as three million Americans may have type 1 diabetes.
- Each year, more than 15,000 children - 40 per day - are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the U.S.
Warning Signs
Warning signs of type 1 diabetes may occur suddenly and include:
- Extreme thirst
- Frequent urination
- Drowsiness or lethargy
- Increased appetite
- Sudden weight loss
- Sudden vision changes
- Sugar in the urine
- Fruity odor on the breath
- Heavy or labored breathing
- Stupor or unconsciousness
What is it Like to Have Type 1 Diabetes?
Ask people who have type 1 diabetes, and they will tell you: It's difficult. It's upsetting. It's life-threatening. It never goes away.
"Both children and adults like me who live with type 1 diabetes need to be mathematicians, physicians, personal trainers, and dieticians all rolled into one. We need to be constantly factoring and adjusting, making frequent finger sticks to check blood sugars, and giving ourselves multiple daily insulin injections just to stay alive."
- JDRF International Chairman Mary Tyler Moore
"This disease controls our lives with all the pricking of the fingers, shots, high and low blood sugars; it's like being on a seesaw. Without a cure, we will be stuck on this seesaw 'til the day we die."
- Tre Kawkins, 12, Michigan
"I never realized how much of my day would be spent dealing with
this disease and all of its challenges."
- Patrick Lacher, 13, Connecticut
"A cure would give us freedom to carry on a normal life without
taking a break to check our blood or have a snack."
- Asa Kelly, 16, North Carolina
Friday, November 5, 2010
The kindness of strangers
Today I came home and their was a check form a Dr. Kimberly Pugh for Halley's JDRF fund raiser. I am amazed how kind people are that don't even know Halley. I would also like to thank Dr. John Colwell another physician that I have never met.
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