June 15, 2012

You Can Do This

Thanks to everyone in the past decade who has told us, “You can do this.”

It wasn’t called social media but the internet has been a part of our diabetes experience from the very git go.

On our first day with diabetes, when our son was in the hospital, we mentioned his diagnosis on Disney web board. We are Disney freaks. We had a trip to the Magic Kingdom coming in just a few weeks. We were scared. As Disney freaks we were afraid that our vacations were in jeopardy, not just the one in a few weeks, a futures worth. And that was just one of a host of fears for the future.


The profound fear was a flood of emotions that made me feel that we were alone.


One of our Disney geek friends sent a reply that first day. He shared with us that he too was type 1. He knew us well. He knew the fear. He new a little humor could help.  He knew what I did not. He knew we could do this.

He told us one of his teenaged type 1 experiences. It was about his adventures as a squirter entrepreneur. The tale involved a heroic type 1 creatively recycling syringes and an oppressive regulatory villain, his high school principal. I laughed so hard I cried.* While there had been plenty of tears in the preceding hours these were the good kind -  the optimistic I can see there is a future, we can do this, kind.

We received more notes and letters from friends who we found out also lived with type 1. Since then we have made a universe of new friends who do too. We are stronger and better for every one of them.

One of those friends is celebrating an anniversary today. Not of a diagnosis. Something that I think is more profound. Organized optimism - Bringing together a growing collection of videos that simply share the message - You Can Do This.

Brilliant.


You Can Do This from Diabetes Hands Foundation on Vimeo.


You too can show your love for You Can Do This. Go to Vimeo here.  Click Share. Click Facebook and share it there, click Tweet and Tweet it and click any and all other social media links on that page. Doing so helps You Can Do This do more. Each like today June 15 is a vote to fund You Can Do This.

Diabetes is hard, helping You Can Do This is not. Just a few clicks. Go a head and click away.

You Can Do This.



*  You can find my retelling of the squirter story here at YDMV under the title A Little Help From Your Friends

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