Athlete T1D Panel 2016: When an idea became a reality

Sometimes the best ideas come to us when we are dashing from one place to the next. Recently, Hot Hubs was driving me to the airport when he had this crazy idea he shared with me. It went something like this:

“Hey, Mere, I have this crazy idea…..what if we pulled together some type one diabetic athletes who have overcome many odds, and had a coffee chat of sorts?” 

After a few moments of chatting back and forth about how we would put something like this together, and where we would host this and so forth, it came to me! A few phone calls later, and some brain storming, the first ever T1D Panel was formed!

What is a T1D panel you ask? What if you could reach many to encourage and inspire? What if you had a panel of four incredible athletes of different ages, a leading endocrinologist, and a leading scientist all together on one platform, to impart wisdom, knowledge and share in how the diabetic athletes  have overcome many obstacles to reach their dreams? What if it was set up so that it was moderated by a local television news reporter? Put all of those things together in a room on a stage, and you get the T1D Panel.

The athletes sitting on the panel all have incredible stories and testimonies on how they have overcome many obstacles to reach their dreams and goals all the while balancing type one diabetes. I refer to our life like this:

“We are living on a balance beam. Luke is always on that balance beam, balancing his diabetes, trying to keep from going too far to the right and too far to the left.  The goal is to stay in the middle.” 

For most everyone, making the choice to get out of bed in the morning, dress yourself for a morning run, and head out the door, it’s really that simple. But for a diabetic athlete, it’s not that simple. Everything a diabetic athlete does rises and falls on where their blood sugar levels are at that time. Planning for a race, a competition, a game, really anything, it has to be well thought out. Depending on where ones sugar levels are, that has to be tweaked. There is so much to do in preparing for athletic activities like this, and the four panelists that have been chosen to speak, all have overcome many hurdles in their quest for the finish line!

Wether you’re a runner, triathlete, mountain climber, basketball player, football player, dancer, snow boarder, etc. and you’re living with diabetes, I want you to know that you can do ALL things, whatever it is! I cannot tell you how many stories we have heard over the last 18 months where other T1D families have asked

“How does Luke do what he does?”  or “Wow, I wish my child could do things like they used to before their diagnosis.” 

The T1D Panel was formed to inspire, encourage and impart a wealth of knowledge about how these athletes have overcome their challenges. The most exciting part about the panel is the wide range of athletes and their ages. Paul Finelli, with Florida Hospital, along with the American Diabetes Association Central Florida, have done an outstanding job of putting our idea into reality. We are hoping the event will be available for live streaming, and we are also hoping it will be recorded so we can share it later.

Here’s the exciting part. The T1D Panel Team:

Chris Clark, UltraMan Triathlete

Lauren Adams, Boston Marathoner

Luke Rosser, USA Triathlon Age Group National Champion

Ralph Hopkins, Athlete & US Attorney General

Will Cross, Mountain Climber

Moderator: Sonni Abatta 

As soon as I get a link for live streaming, I will share it here! The panel is set to take place on Sunday, October 23rd @ 4:00 pm.

“Be active and make healthy choices. Never stop giving up on your dreams and keep reaching for the stars.”  – Luke Rosser

More Than Just A Brand

When you think of a “brand” what comes to mind? I automatically think of Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Kraft, Organic Girl, Green Wise, just to name a few. What those brands represent may or may not have much meaning. Clearly Green Wise, by Publix 99% of the time, means that the product labeled with that name is USDA Organic. That has great meaning if you’re looking to buy food that is grown naturally with no chemicals, pesticides, and so forth.

Lr. More than just any ordinary brand.

 

 It has significant meaning. Deep rooted meaning all the way down to the color scheme. Lr is strong, resilient, brave, fighter, over comer, hope, active, winner, confident, capable, successful, and creative just to name a few.  Lr represents Luke Rosser, Type One Diabetic Athlete & Advocate who is on a mission to spread awareness about diabetes and making good choices.  Ironically Lr is an element on the periodic table too. Who knew?

 From the moment doctors told Luke that exercise saved his life, upon being diagnosed at age 12 with type one diabetes, he has made it his mission to make a difference in his community. This mission has been to build a better community for young teens and kids alike. Just last month Luke was given the opportunity to speak at the Town of Oakland’s Commission Meeting. He requested to build a small mountain bike park for kids and teens so they can be creative and more active. That meeting was very successful and the planning stages are in the works now for the new place in the local park!

Next on Luke’s agenda is to get kids excited about living an active lifestyle from making good choices. His message is to encourage  kids  to put down the video games, turn off the television, and spend time outside being active. Luke wants to reach as many kids as possible, so to start that endeavor he has been speaking at several schools in recent weeks. He’s spoken to a group of home schoolers at their Co-Op, and spoke to 80 plus 4th graders at a local elementary school in our community as well as over 120 students in an elementary school in Lake County.

Luke’s message is clear. Be the active. Be the voice. Be the change. He has proposed a challenge.

Will you take the “Lr Challenge?”

It’s quite simple.

 Make exercise a priority in your life. Make the better choice to live a healthy lifestyle. Spend at least 30 minutes everyday doing something that is a physical activity. This means take a walk with the family, play soccer in the backyard with the kids, go for a bike ride, jump rope, hula hoop, play basketball, swim, aqua jog, run, play tennis, the ideas are endless! Making choices to a better lifestyle are often not easy, but can be done if you make it fun. Get your family, friends, kids and neighbors involved. Set out to make better healthier choices. Choose water for hydration, limit your intake of surgery drinks. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less fast food.

Take a stand. Be the voice in your community. Be the change. It all starts with you! Take the Lr Challenge, and help Luke spread awareness about diabetes.

Lr.

It’s more than just a symbol or a brand. It’s a movement.

Lr is a challenge!

Take the challenge today and share with Luke on his Facebook page!

Many thanks to Mike Mitchell with Overhead Films for creating the incredible Lr logo.

T:Slim G4 Has Arrived!

An update from my previous post, or shall I say melt down?

We spent over a month fighting for Luke’s diabetes insulin pump, only to be denied twice! What a roller coaster of emotions that was, until our sweet diabetes educator called and shared with us about a pump that we might need to consider.

Long story short, we opted to stop fighting an uphill, long battle for the Animas Vibe and got with the new T:Slim G4 Insulin Pump. Needless to say, we could not be more excited about this decision, especially since our Dexcom is integrated with this pump. Life is about to get much easier for Luke and frankly, for us all!

While we ended up not fighting the long battle, we still never gave up. And the lesson to be learned in it all is simply that. As parents, we will fight for our kids, and do anything for them. I was willing to continue to submit letters, make phone calls, and petition for weeks possibly months to see this through for my son. But in the end, we were given a second option that was incredible and was certainly not a step down, but a step up!

Life doesn’t always play out like I envision it to, but often takes turns in the road that lead to many more possibilities with an even greater ending. This was one of those stories.

Now, onto our next battle….. Change legislation in how youth under the age of 18 are tested for Type 1 Diabetes! Strap in tight with your seat belts, and hang on…. this next battle is going to be a long one but WE WILL SUCCEED and we WILL NOT STOP until we do!

Get ready…. Join us in being THE CHANGE!

Denied!

Have you ever heard or seen those words before? Today, my 13-year-old Type 1 Diabetic was denied his request for an insulin pump from our lovely insurance company. Insert a little sarcasm. If I understand this correctly, my son, who pricks his fingers countless times per day to check his blood sugars, AND gives himself insulin shots numerous times throughout the day just to simply stay alive has now been told by our insurance company, “Sorry, your request has been denied.” This fired up momma bear is madder than mad!

It hurts my heart to tell him that his choice for pumps was denied, and really by whom? Who set the parameters on the deciding factors? It’s hard to watch your child have to give themselves injections multiple times per day, and alway live with a high alert of awareness at all times with regards to his sugar levels. Are his levels too high, or are they too low? How many carbs are in the food he’s about to eat? How many units of insulin does he need to take before his meals? Did he take enough insulin or was he falling too short with not taking enough? This is a constant balancing act that is our reality, and the insurance company that denied him more freedoms in this, said NO to his request for a pump. Luke was given several options for pumps, and he shouldn’t be limited to what THEY (the insurance) thinks is best. Life with a pump (as we’ve been told) is very freeing. If my child has to endure all he does every waking moment of the day, don’t you think insurance companies would sympathize? The answer to that is clearly NO.

We strive to give Luke a normal as possible life, and with not too many interruptions to living as normal as possible. Living with Type 1 Diabetes is tough, but Luke has managed to embrace it and not let it stand in his way of achieving his goals and  chasing his dreams. Life is tough, and when it hands you lemons I preach to my boys to make lemonade. Today, I feel as if I’m drowning in lemons and I’m out of sugar.

I feel absolutely hopeless and defeated. The sad reality is, Luke feels much the same, and yet after I told him the news about the denial, he responded with this…

“Mom, thanks for staying on top of things, and for trying. It’s not your fault, don’t worry, I’m not mad at you.” 

All out of the mouth of babes. So I take a moment to be angry, and shed a few tears, for tomorrow I will pick myself up, and fight. I will not give up, and I will not accept defeat. I will fight for my child, and be his voice in the dark corridors of the insurance companies.

We are the change.

The Choice

Let me introduce you to our friend and neighbor, 11-year-old Ricky. He hangs out with my two boys, Luke and Jack, just about every day.  You never know who you might be inspiring when you’re at work or play. Today, was no exception.

Ricky and his dad came over to the house, and wanted to know the difference between a mountain bike bought from a large retail store, and one that is purchased from a local bike shop, with a higher price tag. So after a few minutes of explanations, they decided to take Jack with them to visit our favorite local bike shop, Clermont Bicycles. They later returned and said they wanted to talk things over before making a decision.  After all a large purchase like that should not be done on a whim.

A few hours later, Ricky, along with his dad, came by the house to thank us for the bike shop referral. His dad told us that Ricky had been saving his own money for a long time to buy a new video game system. Recently, he had inquired about using his money to buy a mountain bike so he can ride with the boys. His dad told him he needed to make a choice. He could either buy a new bike or buy the video game system, which he had been wanting for a long time. In the end, Ricky bought a bike!

This touched my heart on so many levels. Since Luke’s Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis, he has made it a mission to bring awareness to our community regarding overall health and wellness. Because exercise saved his life, he wants other kids and adults, to make exercise a priority in their life. Making healthy choices and getting 30 minutes of exercise daily is vital to our well-being.

The fact that Ricky had been saving up his own money to buy a video game system and opted to buy a bike, speaks volumes. He clearly gets it. He said he wanted to be outside more and play with his friends, instead of inside all the time. Oh and we LOVE his color choice, blue! November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and it’s Blue November for Type 1 Diabetes. How fitting!

So what would your choice be?

Be inspiring. Be the voice.

Be the change!

Giveaway

Guess what………

Here’s how this works. I love social media, and I love to promote others and their businesses when I can. As you all know, my 13-year-old son is a Type 1 Diabetic. Overhead Films is going to be documenting Luke’s story through videography in hopes to spread awareness about diabetes. November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and we would like to ask you to jump on over to Hot Chic Sports on Facebook and “Like” the post regarding their November Giveaway. Share the post on social media, and you will automatically get entered into a drawing for a FREE skirt!

The game that Hot Chic Sports is hosting will take place on November 14th, in Orlando Florida, so the drawing will take place after the event.

Ready……..

Set…..

GO!

Like & Share!

The Face of Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes

This is the face of Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes.

It is strong. It is resilient. It is determined. It is over coming boundaries. It is succeeding where it doesn’t seem possible. It is living and thriving!

Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes does not define this kid nor does it control what he does.

HE is in control and is determined to share his story with others in hopes to bring change to how they view living a healthy lifestyle.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. We are getting ready to launch Luke’s story and bring change to legislation! This takes a group effort. This picture speaks a thousand words, but it also shows how a group effort can bring change to many lives. Chris Clark is the face of Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes. Chris was the first Type 1 Diabetic to complete an Ultraman Triathlon.

Thank you Chris Clark for starting a fire within us all. Together we,

Will. Be. The. Change!

November, Diabetes Awareness Month.

Be healthy. Be strong. Be resilient. Be determined. Be an over comer. Be the voice.

Be the change.

Off My Rocker

 

I’ve been sitting here quietly watching people in our society tear each other apart, day after day & week after week. Once in a while I catch a glimpse of humans actually helping one another, and see them encouraging one another. And when I’m REALLY lucky, I see them working together as a “team” to accomplish a common goal but TOGETHER. Working together for one purpose…. crazy concept right? Excuse me while I get off my rocker for a moment as I feel this needs to be heard. Let me get my megaphone…… wait, I don’t need one, I’m pretty loud. I think I’ve had a belly full over the last few years. I’m sad to say I’ve been witnessing this so often and it’s usually hashed out on our good old grand television and new media outlets, and not to mention social media outlets as well. The name calling, bashing, tearing down of others, ridiculing people for their choices…. the list goes on. OH…. stop there…. did you read that correctly? YES America, we make our OWN choices and have been doing so for centuries! When did it become okay, and quite common for media outlets, magazine editors, and news reporters to rip people apart one by one simply because of their choice of clothing, hairstyle, work ethic, and religious beliefs?

Today I had the privilege to be in a classroom of 3rd graders during a science project. The children were broken up into teams of three. Each team was instructed to build something from just a few parts, but work together as a team to accomplish the mission. You can see where this is going I’m sure. Needless to say, things didn’t start out too great, and there was escalating conflict almost immediately amongst some teams. Children are taught how to work together, it is not something we are automatically born with. As parents it is our job to teach our children to be “Team Players” when called to do so, and if we can’t do this ourselves as adults with other adults, then what are we really teaching our children? Kids learn from example, and what kind of example is our society setting up for the younger generations? The 3rd grade class science project had a good ending because of great parents and teachers that stepped in to lead by example.

I stand here on my soapbox, off my rocker to say this…… WAKE UP AMERICA and let’s start leading by a POSITIVE EXAMPLE!!!! You can accomplish MORE if you do it with a cheerful heart and with a positive attitude. It’s time to step up to the plate and BE THAT CHANGE! It sure seems easier to rant about it, and then sit back and do nothing as it is always harder to get out there and do it. So what if you’re a little put out for a while, or you have to plan ahead, or even take a step back and view the situation before jumping in feet first. Think of the possibilities when you can be apart of a wildfire of positive change in your life, your children’s lives, your community and those around you. The results from a situation that may have started out to be hurtful, can absolutely turn into something more wonderful. It’s all in how you choose to embrace it. Get off that rocker and let’s LEAD BY EXAMPLE! Okay, now back to your regular scheduled programming. Next up, a fabulous summer salad recipe!