{"id":36341,"date":"2014-07-10T09:56:59","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T13:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?post_type=feature&p=36341"},"modified":"2016-01-11T03:45:42","modified_gmt":"2016-01-11T08:45:42","slug":"children-with-diabetes-friends-for-life-2014-a-wrap-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=36341","title":{"rendered":"Children With Diabetes Friends for Life 2014: A Wrap-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

It was midway into a parents\u2019 session on positive caregiving at the annual Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference<\/a> in Orlando, and a mother in the corner of the room was crying. Feeling alone and overwhelmed by the new task of raising a toddler with Type 1 Diabetes, her emotions overflowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m exhausted,\u201d she said, tears pouring down her face. \u201cAnd I\u2019m alone. I\u2019m a single mom and I\u2019m scared at night and I\u2019m worried in the day. I have no one who gets this, no one who really understands.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the session went on, parents began shifting their seats over toward the crying mom. One by one, they began talking to her, the steady hum of that sidebar support wafting over the room as the session continued. If it had been high school, the teacher would have stopped the side chatter. But at Friends for Life, that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s supposed to go on.<\/p>\n

From July 1-6 people with diabetes, parents, grandparents, siblings, loved ones and friends totaling over 3,000 gathered at Friends for Life.\u00a0 They met up for meals and merriment, banquets and bopping to music. They raced around a sports center and frolicked in a pool. But the real meat of what Friends for Life is about \u2013 education, empowerment and emotional support \u2013 happened, as always, in the educational sessions.<\/p>\n

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

In a session on burnout led by Korey Hood, PhD and Jill Weissberg-Benchell, PhD and CDE, both experts in psychology and diabetes, parents of children with diabetes and adults with type 1 diabetes, side by side, shared and discussed burn out from every angle, exploring the why\u2019s, how\u2019s and how-to\u2019s of avoiding and battling burn out.<\/p>\n

As serious as the talk was, people still laughed. For example, just after Weissberg-Benchell said people need to remove blame and shame from daily diabetes life, a mom talked about \u00a0how she \u201cshould\u201d do something.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to stop \u2018shoulding\u2019 on yourself,\u201d Jill said, to laughs in the room.<\/p>\n

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

Down the hall, siblings of children with diabetes were involved in an intense and unique session: a chance to voice \u2013 without judgment<\/em> \u2013 their feelings about having diabetes in their house. It was a private meeting, not even a reporter there to write about it was allowed in. But the kids shared their thoughts anonymously on Post-it\u2019s and displayed them outside the room.<\/p>\n

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

The impact of those tiny notes holding such profound thoughts was powerful.\u00a0 Simple words like \u201cfear\u201d or \u201cpride\u201d are on some. Others get more specific. \u2018I hate that diabetes invades our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was the chance to drill down on the technical as well. Renowned diabetes educator Gary Scheiner<\/a> led a packed room through the details and intricacies of the glycemic index, surprising even some of the most seasoned diabetes pros with some tips and facts (for instance, pasta has a lower glycemic index than rice).<\/p>\n

Around the corner, another session gave folks a chance to get up close and personal with some of the most inspiring famous names in diabetes. World Ironman champion Jay Hewitt \u2013 an adult with Type 1 \u2013 spoke in an intimate setting about the challenges of choosing his sport and the way he learned that he \u2013 and anyone \u2013 can rock any challenge, even with diabetes on board.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s a funny thing about celebrities at Friends for Life: they\u2019re just one of the gang. Hewitt and others could be seen waiting in line (and chatting up others) in the hotel coffee shop. They wore their wristbands of inclusion (Type 1\u2019s wear green wristbands, others wear orange) with the same pride as every other person attending.<\/p>\n

Each session at Friends for Life was its own special experience, and each one came with \u00a0the overarching feeling of support, acceptance, family and just plain \u201cwe totally get you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we go to FFL, we are embraced by a community who understands us,\u201d said Sarah Meidi, a D-mom who drove down with her family from Wisconsin for the event. \u201cThe siblings have siblings who share their everyday issues. Meredith \u2013 my daughter with diabetes — isn’t \u2018always the only one\u2019 with D. And I get refreshed being with other parents who get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, Friends for Life was, as it always is, big and flashy; it was powerful and poignant. But at the end of the day, what happened with the crying mom in the parents\u2019 session is what Friends for Life is all about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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