One year ago today

 So, it's been one year ago today that Brooklyn was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  I feel like I've learned so much this past year but I am constantly still learning.  Brooklyn been a absolute trooper through all of this. She has her ups and down, someday's diabetes feels it's no big deal. And other days she absolutely HATES having to deal with this each and every day. I really don't blame her. I'm grateful that Brooklyn is open with me about her feelings and how she deals with all of this. She is a letter writer, she often leaves notes on my bed of what she's feeling. The other day she wrote me note saying she just wanted a break from diabetes, from all of it. I wish I could give her a break, or even take away this auto-immune disease. It always helps when we count her blessings, but at the same time I don't want to discount her feelings about her resenting this disease. We talk about how scientist are working on a cure right now. A artificial pancreases is being tested, and they are also currently working on finding a complete cure by implanting new Islet cells into the pancreas that will start producing insulin. Hearing about these studies that are going on gives our family hope and that someday Brooklyn can get her a permanent break from all of this.

Right now she's been pretty emotional with how other kids at school can eat and snack on food all they want. They don't have to count carbs, or have their food weighed and measured out. They don't have to go to the nurses room each day to get tested and bolused for their food. They don't have to deal with low and high blood sugars and the symptoms that come with it. She just wants to be like all the other kids and not have to worry about all these things.

She did get a pump last summer, what a blessing that has been. No more shots! She just has to change her site every 3 days, and that's almost painless.

Lately she has also felt very alone with having diabetes, she's the only kid in her school with it. She's not alone any more with Blake just getting diagnosed.  As much as I wish Blake didn't have to have struggle with this, it will be really nice for them to have this in common so they don't feel alone in this.

I often think about how grateful I am for insulin, and that it's available to me. Without it, Brooklyn and Blake would not be alive. One day there will be a cure for diabetes and I'm confident that Brooklyn and Blake will be able to be here to be apart of it. What a happy day that will be for our family and for everyone who has this auto-immune disease. Until then, we will keep doing what were doing. We are all happy and healthy, we have good days and bad and those bad days make us stronger I'm sure of it.

March 7th, 2011 in the E.R.
I remember we were in the E.R all night waiting for a room to become available.