Spare A Rose - Opening Days Deal: Help Kids AND Make Me Look Silly.

The fourth annual Spare a Rose campaign starts today. 

Spare a Rose helps fund IDF's Life for a Child program bringing insulin and support to children in developing nations who may otherwise go without. Spare a Rose is easy, give one less rose this valentine's day and donate the value of that rose to IDF or give a dozen.  

Spare A Rose is a fun way we, people with diabetes, can join philanthropists, industry and other who support these kids. 

Type 1 requires ongoing insulin. Through Spare a Rose you make an ongoing monthly gift to IDF. With the Monthly Donation section of the Spare A Rose giving form your can set ongoing giving. The funds flow straight from you, through PayPal, to IDF and kids in need.

Spare A Rose is a community effort.  It is fun to be a part of something so useful, needed and simple. Now add to that the opportunity of publicly embarrassing your truly. 

I would love to see Spare A Rose start quickly with ongoing donations. So I'll wear these Disney World map tights to the Friends for Life banquet this summer if we can raise three dozen ongoing gifts in the first three days of Spare A Rose.

Help kids and make me look silly in public at the same time. What could be better? 

#SpareARose

Sexy new AP from Medtronic.

That get you attention? Good.

Medtronic is starting to roll out their next step to AP in Australia, and it's got a new look

What's new other than the good looks? Predictive suspend aka it stops delivery of insulin when thinks you are gonna go low. Very groovy. Medtronic calls this "SmartGuard™." I call it another step along the path to better care. 

When the 530G rolled out with Low Glucose Suspend, there was a lot of chatter about calling it AP. A Rose by another name is still progress in my book, and I am excited to see both a new pump form factor and another step to AP come to market. 

Speaking of Roses: Spare A Rose is coming up soon. We all need to join in and help kids around the world who need a hand. Show some love this Valentines Day. 

source: http://multimediacapsule.thomsonone.com/medtronic/medtronic-launches-minimed-640g-system--breakthrough-in-artificial-pancreas-technology-outside-the-us

Dear DOC. Thanks. Twenty Thousand Times.

Thanks to everyone who joining in the Spare a Rose campaign. Our community showed real strength. We came together, not a patents, pharma. and caregivers but as a community seeking to help kids in need.

Our community is amazing. Together we will double the goal of Spare a Rose for 2014.

Please read the attached letter from Graham Ogle of Life for a Child.

It is a Valentine's Day card for us all.


Love Ya

ps. There is still time to give, there is always a need.

A Rose by Any Other Name Should Smell Like Bandaids

When I heard the goal for our community’s Spare a Rose campaign I had doubts. That was silly. By coming together and making ‘Rose ours, we have exceeded an ambitious goal. 

I imagine in in addition to our house smelling of roses this Valentine’s Day, the home of a family, some where in need, smelling like insulin. like LIFE. 

Let’s dig in for a Valentine’s Day push. Let’s get do it again. We can. 

I am proud to be a part of the Spare A Rose Community, I'm doubling down to Spare Roses and Save Children. 

There is time left to Spare another Rose. 

One rose, one month of life. A dozen roses, a year of life for a child with diabetes.

 

USDEURGBPJPYCADAUD	Spare 1 Rose = $5 = 1 month of Life for a Child2 Roses = $10 = 2 months of Life for a Child3 Roses = $15 = 3 months of Life for a Child6 Roses = $30 = 6 months of Life for a Child1 Dozen Roses = $60 = A year of Life for a Child2 Dozen Roses = $120 = Two years of Life for a Child

Wisdom is Doing Good Stuff

I subscribe to the idea that putting the truth into life, as action to help others, is wisdom. 

A lot of what comes over the band width pipeline isn’t all that wise. Some isn’t true, some doesn't help and a lot is, well selfies, which are by definition self focused.

Here's two great opportunities from the diabetes community do be wise this weekend before “The Game.” 

Diabetes Art Day is one. I am a big fan. It turns the undeniable and often inexpressible truth of the emotional baggage of living with diabetes into something to share, inspire that is positive too. There is a trifecta. Make art this weekend, then eat nachos and watch the Super Bowl commercials. 

Spare a Rose is another. The diabetes online community is coming together this Valentine’s Day to, "Spare a Rose Save a Child." Lack of insulin is the leading cause of death for Children with type 1 diabetes around the world. Insulin is needed in developing nations. The international Diabetes Foundation Life for a Child program is a sustainable way to save kids lives. It cheap too. Five bucks keeps a child alive for a month. About what a fancy Valentin’s Day rose cost. Be wise, buy fewer flowers this year and keep kids alive. 

Both these efforts seek to bring community together, do good things, for others. Sure it fun watch TV poke fun at the Biebs and Rob Ford. Maybe doing some good is a wiser use of the time. Sure it's fun watch TV poke fun at the Biebs and Rob Ford. Maybe doing some good is a wiser use of the time.

USDEURGBPJPYCADAUD	Spare 1 Rose = $5 = 1 month of Life for a Child2 Roses = $10 = 2 months of Life for a Child3 Roses = $15 = 3 months of Life for a Child6 Roses = $30 = 6 months of Life for a Child1 Dozen Roses = $60 = A year of Life for a Child2 Dozen Roses = $120 = Two years of Life for a Child

#SpareARose Feed Back Wanted

#SpareARose had wonderful success in social media raising awareness for the IDF's Life for a Child and helping save some kids. Some results are not in yet but it was clear the Diabetes Online Community came together in a big way very quickly to pull the program together.

How quickly you ask? 12 days from first idea as a sidebar comment to going public.

In kind of rush the focus was all about can we get something done. Now that we can breath, it would be great to know what people think worked and what could work better if we do something like it again. Maybe next time, with two full weeks or more, we could be even better

So how about taking a quick survey and sharing your thoughts on how to do it better?

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3PGYZ7Y

Turn It To 11, #SpareARose

Sinal Tap fans get 11. It's one louder, isn't it? 

11 is better.

This Valentines Day think 11 roses, they can be better than a dozen. Spare that one rose and join others in the diabetes online community who are sending the value of the 12th flower flower to the International Diabetes Federation's Life for a Child program this week.

One flower. It doesn't seem like much money but it is. It can mean life for a child for a few days, maybe a week. Your Valentine will still know you love them with 11 flowers.

I found a site on the internet that says, "11 roses represent(s) 'You are my treasured one; the one I love most in my life.'" It is on the internet, so its gotta be true right?

So let your valentine know, "You are my treasured one; the one I love most in my life and I also love some kid who needs that 12th rose to have a life."

Make 11 more than 12. 

Spare A Rose, Save a Child.

It is easy. Use PayPal.