{"id":33522,"date":"2013-07-18T10:33:10","date_gmt":"2013-07-18T14:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?post_type=feature&p=33522"},"modified":"2016-01-09T05:19:36","modified_gmt":"2016-01-09T10:19:36","slug":"children-with-diabetes-friends-for-life-conference-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522","title":{"rendered":"Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference 2013: A First-Timer’s Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CWD<\/a><\/p>\n

I was the kind of diabetic child who refused to attend any sort of diabetes camps or events. I always told myself, I don’t need any diabetic friends. \u00a0I can do this by myself.<\/em> \u00a0And I wasn\u2019t exactly alone with my diabetes.\u00a0 My mother has type 1 diabetes, too.\u00a0 We’ve always had a diabetic partnership, and for most of my life that has been enough of a support system for me.<\/p>\n

However, as years have gone on I have become more comfortable with the diabetic part of my identity, so much so that I joined the College Diabetes Network<\/a> (CDN) last year, an\u00a0organization whose mission is to empower and improve the lives of students living with type 1 diabetes through peer support and access to information and resources. \u00a0Through CDN\u00a0I started meeting other diabetics my age, and was blown away by how refreshing it was to chat with them about the daily challenges of living with diabetes as a college student. \u00a0And thanks to CDN,\u00a0I learned about an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to attend the Children With Diabetes Friends for Life conference in Orlando<\/a>, Florida. The CDN team<\/a>, Christina Roth and Jo Treitman, encouraged me to go for it. This past April I applied, and by May, I had received the news that I was chosen as a scholarship recipient. I was overjoyed.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to July 10th, when I found myself sitting next to my father, the most wonderful traveling companion, on a plane. Our destination was the Coronado Springs Resort located in Disney World, where we would spend the next five days taking advantage of all the conference had to offer.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect. \u00a0\u00a0Would I meet other people my age? Would I enjoy myself? Would I benefit from the conference? I was anxious, to say the least.<\/p>\n

My concerns were allayed once I registered and saw a lobby full of conference attendees. I did my best to absorb the sea of faces before me: all of those people had something gigantic in common with me. It dawned on me that I would get to know some of them well over the course of the next few days, and I couldn’t wait to start the process of making some friends for life.<\/p>\n

Before I go on, you might be wondering what exactly happens at a Children With Diabetes Friends for Life conference.\u00a0 In short, families or adults with type 1 gather to spend time together.\u00a0 Participants are are divided into groups by age.\u00a0 I was sorted into the college-age group, which was for 18-22 year olds.<\/p>\n

For the duration of the conference, attendees are encouraged to participate in workshops that address a large variety of diabetes topics, like the latest technology for diabetics, dating and diabetes, starting a family with diabetes, and creating diabetes blogs. I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica Apple<\/a> and Michael Aviad<\/a> at the diabetes bloggers session, as well as fellow bloggers Kerri Sparling<\/a> and Scott Johnson<\/a>. As a relatively new diabetes blogger, I found this workshop to be enlightening as I listened to the advice other bloggers had to offer. I’m excited to explore the intriguing realm of diabetes blogs and gain insight that I can apply to my own blog.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

As far as the social aspect of the conference was concerned, I hit it off immediately with several people at the college dinner that was held on Wednesday night. Each person I spoke to had a different perspective on what it was like to be a young adult with diabetes. I was impressed by the clear resilience and independence of the students around me, and I was truly pleased to learn that diabetes wasn’t the only thing we all had in common. Thursday night proved to be fantastic, too. We attended the Friends for Life banquet and ball, which was a full-fledged party with food, music, and dancing. \u00a0Then my newfound friends and I ventured to Downtown Disney and had a blast soaking up the magic of Disney World and exchanging stories – both diabetes related and unrelated.<\/p>\n

One story that I heard at the conference particularly moved me. I was at Brandy Barnes’<\/a> workshop about Women and Diabetes – another excellent session – when a diabetic woman sitting next to me became emotional as she spoke about her young daughter with diabetes. She explained how she was dealing with guilt, as she felt responsible for her daughter\u2019s diabetes. She feared the consequences this would have on her little girl later on in life. I felt a compelling need to reach out to this woman and let her know everything would be okay. I spoke to her briefly after the workshop, and explained to her that my mom and I are a diabetic duo, too. I told her that when her daughter grows up she\u2019ll be grateful for her support, knowledge, and perspective as a fellow diabetic with a deeper understanding of\u00a0 diabetes. My mom and I can attest to how even though diabetes has tried to knock us down over the years<\/a>, we’ve taken control of it and become stronger as a result. I gave the woman my e-mail and the address to my blog, and if she is reading this now, I want her to know that I meant what I said: everything will be okay.<\/p>\n

Looking back now with the eyes of someone who attended the Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference I can say that I regret – to a certain degree – not attending camps when I was younger. \u00a0Being around others with diabetes has given me greater awareness of what it means to live with diabetes. Additionally, I am feeling more inspired than ever as a diabetic and a writer to put my story out there and do anything I can help and impact others, all while listening to and learning from what others affected by diabetes have to say about it, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking back now with the eyes of someone who attended the Friends for Life conference I can say that I regret – to a certain degree – not attending camps when I was younger. Being around others with diabetes has given me greater awareness of what it means to live with diabetes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":33525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1429],"tags":[557],"yoast_head":"\nChildren With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference 2013: A First-Timers Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You might be wondering what exactly happens at a Children With Diabetes Friends for Life conference. Families or adults with type 1 diabetes gather to...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Molly Johannes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522\",\"name\":\"Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference 2013: A First-Timers Report\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/CWD-FFL2013-home.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-07-18T14:33:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-09T10:19:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/623ae95e59042a0181d7249ae80f9e18\"},\"description\":\"You might be wondering what exactly happens at a Children With Diabetes Friends for Life conference. Families or adults with type 1 diabetes gather to...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/CWD-FFL2013-home.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/CWD-FFL2013-home.jpeg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"CWD FFL2013 home\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference 2013: A First-Timer’s Report\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\",\"name\":\"ASweetLife\",\"description\":\"The Diabetes Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/623ae95e59042a0181d7249ae80f9e18\",\"name\":\"Molly Johannes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f996a9325de8e57234e2c6d9727bd93d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f996a9325de8e57234e2c6d9727bd93d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Molly Johannes\"},\"description\":\"Molly Johannes was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1997 at the age of four. She controls her diabetes with an OmniPod insulin pump, Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, and daily exercise. Molly graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in December 2014 with a degree in English. Currently, she works fulltime as an associate editor for a financial company. In her spare time, Molly enjoys spending time with her loved ones, reading books, watching movies, and playing games. She\u2019s an avid fan of Disney, dark chocolate, wine, Harry Potter, and fun times. While Molly does not know a life without diabetes, she is determined to defy the daily obstacles the disease presents.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?author=23\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference 2013: A First-Timers Report","description":"You might be wondering what exactly happens at a Children With Diabetes Friends for Life conference. Families or adults with type 1 diabetes gather to...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Molly Johannes","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522","name":"Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference 2013: A First-Timers Report","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/CWD-FFL2013-home.jpeg","datePublished":"2013-07-18T14:33:10+00:00","dateModified":"2016-01-09T10:19:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/623ae95e59042a0181d7249ae80f9e18"},"description":"You might be wondering what exactly happens at a Children With Diabetes Friends for Life conference. Families or adults with type 1 diabetes gather to...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/CWD-FFL2013-home.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/CWD-FFL2013-home.jpeg","width":600,"height":400,"caption":"CWD FFL2013 home"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33522#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference 2013: A First-Timer’s Report"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/","name":"ASweetLife","description":"The Diabetes Magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/623ae95e59042a0181d7249ae80f9e18","name":"Molly Johannes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f996a9325de8e57234e2c6d9727bd93d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f996a9325de8e57234e2c6d9727bd93d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Molly Johannes"},"description":"Molly Johannes was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1997 at the age of four. She controls her diabetes with an OmniPod insulin pump, Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, and daily exercise. Molly graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in December 2014 with a degree in English. Currently, she works fulltime as an associate editor for a financial company. In her spare time, Molly enjoys spending time with her loved ones, reading books, watching movies, and playing games. She\u2019s an avid fan of Disney, dark chocolate, wine, Harry Potter, and fun times. While Molly does not know a life without diabetes, she is determined to defy the daily obstacles the disease presents.","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?author=23"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}