When applying to the 2011 Children's Congress on Facebook or on the Children's Congress website, I would recommend that you do the following:Before starting the application, write a letter addressed to your Member of Congress. The letter MUST include the following:
Have a digital picture with the following criteria to submit with your application:
I would LOVE to attend this, but unfortunately I am too old. I've had type 1 diabetes since I was 20 months old. I'm 47 now with minimal complications. Mary Tyler Moore has been my hero (yes, very corny) ever since I can remember. God Bless Her!
I am speaking in behalf of my daughter Lara Elizabeth Roe.Lara was diagnosed in September of 2009.The early am of her Emergency room visit was a heart-wrenching & almost mind paralizing moment.You see,My son,Lara's older brother passed 2yrs ago to a devastating undiagnosed progressive degenerative disease @ the age of 9.Tyler(my son) spent more time in the ER & hospital then he did in his own own.I sat @ my sons bedside minute after minute as the Dr's lay clueless upon how to cure him/help him,& find a name for whatever was taking his life day by day.When Lara was born;she survived this daily hectic lifestyle on a daily basis.As she grew older she had more of an understanding as to what her brother went through day by day.When it was time for her hospital visit-her emotions & anticipations were remarkably speechless.This time around,it was more difficult.I was dealing with a cognitive child that was aware of her surroundings completely.What do i say to her?How do i explain that her experience is not what her brother encountered?Nevertheless;here i was again with another child that iwas completely & utterly helpless with.The dr's said she was in a stage of shock.All my daughter would say was "i know i am going to die",(amongst many other gut-wrenching comments.Among the daily physical discomforts of diabetes;there lie many mental discomforts for Lara as well.Today,Lara still has a tough times keeping her blood sugars in control.We do everything possible to keep her food consumption within healthy choices.We make sure she has plenty of exercise,fluids,,but it is still a daily battle for both Lara & my family.When you become a parent,our job is to help,or "fix" the problem,make it all better,and you can't;THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD MORE FRUSTRATING,HELPLESS,AND EVEN DEPRESSING!We need to work harder,fight harder,whatever means necessary.If not-what will her future withhold?Scary,isn't it??God Bless all the children fighting and living with type 1 diabetes today!I know from experience that there is no such thing as the simple life.And there is nothing i would not do to finally have the opportunity to fix one of my children's "boo-boo's".Thank you for listening-and please;HELP OUR CHILDREN BE CHILDREN!!!!!!
I feel a bit out of place here but this is my story. I am 37 and I was diagnosed with Type 1 in May of 2010. No one believed it not even the doctors for two reasons, first NO ONE in my family has it or has had it and second this is something that mainly children get. But the test's didn't lie. I have type 1 diabetes. This has devastated my life along with my husband and 4 children. To this day the doctors can not get my insulin levels right. I will go from 650 to 22 in a matter of hours. I have seen hospitals and emergency rooms more often than I ever thought. It affects my kids in several different ways. We have been out shopping and all of a sudden my levels drop and I feel horrible so my son ends up calling 9-1-1. I am not allowed to drive right now so I have to depend on others. I eat right and exercise (a little) but it doesn't seem to help. If I exert myself or get over-heated, I get sick. I feel helpless and hopeless and yet at the same time I feel like a baby because I know there are so many children dealing with this also.
The doctors told me that the only reason that they can come up with as to how I got this is.... are you ready... from a virus, like a cold or sinus infection. Something small, but at the time my immune system did not do it's job and the infection attacked my pancreas and so now I do not produce insulin. How crazy is that??
I am sorry for putting my pity party out here but I just don't know what to do. Part of me wishes I never found out.
Leslie, I am so sorry that you have type 1 diabetes. I know of several adults who have had their pancreas quit working after traumatic accidents. We also keep in touch with a girl who lives 3 hours away who was diagnosed at the age of 23. It is believed that Type 1 diabetes is caused by a virus which causes an autoimmune response that attacks the pancreas.
My son developed type 1 diabetes in 2009. I have a second cousin who had type 1 but no one else in our family has it. WE were totally caught off guard as well.
Do not feel guilty about asking us to join your pity party. The people who deal with type 1 diabetes are some of the kindest people that I have ever met.
Get involved with your local chapter of JDRF. Most have activities for adults with type 1 diabetes. You can meet some local folks who deal with the same issues that you are having. Our local chapter has a supper club that meets once a month. Also, you can join efforts to fundraise and work with the advocacy group who contacts congressmen to get government funding. We cannot find a cure until we can figure out the chemistry of this disease.
One thing that I always keep in mind is something that our endocronologist explained when we first met him. He said that nondiabetic folks have thousands of things working together in our bodies to help regulate blood sugar. In type 1, we only have the capabilities to deal with two factors...carbs and insulin. Your doctors will figure it out for you.