Some Clarification

I am nearly a month shy of my 5th anniversary with Type I diabetes. I think I should be proud to say that diabetes has hardly changed my life. Nevertheless, it remains a constant in my life.

Every day, as most of you know, I check my blood sugar levels by pricking my finger and squeezing a small amount of blood onto a test strip; I do this 5-10 times. At night, before I go to bed, I give myself a shot of Lantus. Every time I eat any food, I give myself a shot of Humalog. And, any time I mess up, I either eat to make up for too much insulin or I take more insulin.

The downside to this routine is not the shots anymore. The downside is the moments when my blood sugar levels are too low. The moments when I'm refusing sugar, telling Joe I hate him for forcing me to eat when I don't feel like it, even though I know I need it, all while laying on the floor crying uncontrolably. It's impossible to explain the feeling of knowing you need to do something, yet the inability to do anything; the fear of what might happen if no one notices.

Then there's the long term complications that aren't even worth talking about because I'm trying to avoid them altogether.

Am I happy? Yes.
Do I require a cure to diabetes in order to live a full and happy life? No.
Would it be convenient if I were cured? Yes.
Less scary to live without diabetes? Yes.

Nearly three years ago I wrote an opinion piece for the Deseret News about diabetes and stem cell research. It, amazingly, is still floating around on the web. I think it's appropriate that I link to it here, so you understand where I'm coming from when I say, More Hope.

So, when my Dad called me and told me to watch this video about a potential cure for diabetes, I couldn't resist. When I watched it the first time, I cried. True, this is not the first potential cure, but it is yet another reason to hope that a cure is possible. If the most recent news doesn't produce a cure, there will be more research and more opportunity for cures.

There is still room for hope.

More Hope

Winner, winner and a funny side note

Thanks for entertaining me and playing my election contest. Missouri still has not declared a victor but regardless of Missouri's vote, Jamie won. Obama received 364 electoral votes and McCain received 162. Missouri's 11 electoral votes are still in limbo.

I was at Toys 'R Us this evening entertaining Henry when I was passed by some serious hoodlums (picture: baggy, sagging black pants. White oversized t-shirt. Skater shoes. Greasy hair.) probably 15 years old, running down the isles chanting O-bama, O-bama. I know that I'm stereotyping those kids, but I think that the interest from kids this young and niaeve, is a sign that Obama has really touched Americans in a way that no other politician in recent history has. That's invigorating!

Henry, to my dismay, was clearly not as interested in Obama as those kids at Toys 'R Us. Today we received the most recent copy of Newsweek, a magazine to which we subscribe. Here's the cover:


Henry looked at the cover and said, John McCain. Clearly he's been listening in on our conversations at home, but why did he pick up John McCain? Don't worry, all is well, now, he also says President Barack Obama.

Election Day Contest Anyone?

In the spirit of election day, I thought I would offer a contest.

If you want to play, pick your presidential winner, and then respond with a comment on how many electoral votes that candidate will receive. The person with the closest number of electoral votes will win homemade chocolate cookie sandwiches, which I will personally deliver to you.


If no one votes I reserve the right to eat all the chocolate cookie sandwiches all by myself while lying in bed tonight. :)

You have to vote before 8pm tonight, when Utah's polls close, which gives you almost three hours of watching results come in to make your decision.

NPR has an interactive map that allows you to predict the results of the 2008 presidential election. If that sounds useful, you can find it here: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2008/2008-election-map.html#/president?view=predict.

Nostalgia of Food

For me the perfect cure for a cold, crappy, day like today is tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. I realize that this is not gourmet food, but it's the only food I want when I'm cold or sick or otherwise unhappy. This type of food does not spark any vivid memories, it's more an ingrained sense of comfort. I guess you could say it is nostalgic; you know those songs that take you back to a different time in your life, this food has the same effect for me. My mom always made this for us when we were sick or otherwise unhappy. Now, when I need a cure, need to feel like it's still summer, I choose the grilled cheese and tomato soup to, mentally, take me to the beach. What cures your cold day blues?


Today, while it rained and kind of snowed, I made grilled cheese and tomato soup for Henry and I to eat for lunch. I made it on the homemade bread that I baked yesterday, which is delicious. It's soft, fluffy and has a mildly sweet taste. Here's the link to the recipe I used, it's delicious!! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fabulous-Homemade-Bread/Detail.aspx