Insulin for Life

So far in my posts about raising awareness of Type 1 Diabetes in poor and developing countries I have mainly focussed on the International Diabetes Federation and Australian Diabetes Council program called Life for a Child.

Today I am looking at another organisation, this one is called Insulin for Life.

Insulin for Life is an organisation established in 1999 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - with the following objectives (taken from the Insulin for Life Lecture PowerPoint Presentation - Download):

• urgent short-term and continuous overseas supply of insulin and other items
• mentoring similar programs in other countries
• sustainable improvement in the cost of insulin to the user and in its availability in countries in need

The organisation's Active Supply Program includes the following countries:

• Bolivia
• Ecuador
• Congo (Republic)
• Congo (Democratic Republic)
• Rwanda
• Tanzania
• Cambodia
• Kyrgyzstan
• Russia
• Turkey
• Uzbekistan
• Ukraine
• Maldives

Many hospitals and diabetes clinics around Australia and internationally collect unused and in-date insulin and other supplies from families who no longer need those supplies for reasons such as change of medication or insulin delivery method (ie. going from injections to insulin pumps usually requires a change in insulin type and reduced need for long-acting insulins). 

Those supplies are then directed to Insulin for Life who arranges for distribution to children in areas of need.

It is important that while we want to make sure that our communities are aware of Type 1 Diabetes and how it affects our own kids, however, we, as parents of children who have relatively easy access to these medications and supplies have a responsibility to ensure that we do whatever we can to help those who do not.

Please check out the Insulin for Life program and if your hospital or diabetes clinic is not yet involved, ask them to look into it and see if they can join in.

Blue Friday and Sister Margueritte De Clerck

We are now on day 4 of Diabetes Awareness Month - not only that, it's also Friday - and during Diabetes Awareness Month Fridays are "Blue Fridays". Every Friday during the month of November, we will be wearing BLUE for Diabetes Awareness.


Check out the Blue Friday's Facebook page!

And, every Friday during the month of November my blog posts will be written in BLUE!


Here is a short video about Blue Fridays:





Now, since it is my aim during Diabetes Awareness Month to raise awareness of the issues faced by children with Type 1 Diabetes living in remote areas and developing countries I have embedded a video featuring Sister Margueritte De Clerck, a Belgian nun who has dedicated her life to helping people with diabetes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.







The following passage was taken from an article by Stephen Moss published in The Guardian on 5 April 2005 and refers to Moss' first encounter with Sister Margueritte:

"In Kinshasa, a few days later, I meet perhaps the coolest missionary of all. It is Sunday morning and a mini-coup has broken out. At three in the morning, I had heard the rattling of windows in the mission house in which I was staying, but thought it was a typhoon sweeping across the Congo river. It wasn't; it was mortar fire. My driver has been attacked, his car stolen; there is shooting just a few streets away. I am panic-stricken.

Sister Marguerite De Clerck, a Belgian nun who had seen it all before in her 50 years in Congo, calms me. "Sometimes nothing happens; sometimes everything happens." She is hanging on in the mission house waiting for the shooting to die down before making her way to her office across the street. For 30 years, she has been running an anti-diabetes programme in Kinshasa. Once, there were 60 nuns from her order - Notre Dame de Namur - in Congo. Now there is just her, an unforgettably vital and resilient 77-year-old. Her mother, she tells me, died only a few years ago. Congo will have Sister De Clerck's services for a while yet. "I will go home when I can no longer make a contribution," she says. "I don't want to be a burden on these people." When the streets are a little quieter, she gets up to leave. "Enjoy your stay," she says."

Sister Margueritte De Clerck is a true inspiration.

T1D is everywhere!

Have you noticed, as a parent of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, that you tend to automatically think of T1D with almost EVERYTHING - even something seemingly not T1D related?

I caught myself doing exactly that today!

I was out looking at and test driving new cars. Now, how on earth does T1D have anything at all to do with the selection of a new car - except of course making sure that it's going to run fine and get you from home to the hospital safely if necessary? But then, you'd think about this anyway - even without T1D in your life!

I've looked at a bunch of cars over the last month or so - and I think I finally found the one I like today - but of course T1D had to get it's little nose in my business once again to help tip the scales to that particular car - and do you know why???

This particular car has tray-tables for the back seats - like what you have on aeroplanes!

The first thing I thought of when I saw those tables was, "Hey, how cool, that will make doing BGL tests in the car so much easier - the kids will have a place to put their test kit!"

I think T1D has officially hijacked my brain!

Okay - onto another subject.

So, this is the 2nd day of November - and of course, November is Diabetes Awareness Month.

Yesterday I posted about T1Day and also about children living with T1D in developing countries.

I decided to have a chat to my kids about this. They're smart, sensitive kids and they are very conscious of doing what they can to help the less fortunate.

Issie has decided she wants to be a famous fashion designer, but she also wants to have her own charity to raise money for T1D awareness and research.

After talking to the 2 kids about these kids in developing countries Issie told me that she now wants "her" charity to raise money for these kids so that they don't have to walk hours and hours to get their insulin. And I think this is great.

Of course we all want to raise money for a cure so that NOBODY has to live with this disease - but the fact is that the cure is not here yet, and every day more and more kids are being diagnosed!

We are so lucky to live in a place where we have access to the best medications and treatment options - and it is very sad to say that we often take this for granted.

I could never imagine having to make the choice to let my child die because the cost of the medication to keep him or her alive is more than our entire family income for the year!

No parent should have to be in a position to make a decision like that.

So, my aim for Diabetes Awareness Month is to bring to attention those kids, those families in developing countries; to make people aware that this disease kills, on a daily basis, and in many cases, the death of these children is needless and entirely preventable.

Yes, I have two kids with Type 1 Diabetes, and that's not easy - but I know that my kids are the lucky ones.

Today is T1 Day! Give Type 1 "the finger!"

Today, 1 November 2011 (or 1.11.11) is the inaugural T1Day - Type 1 Day.

1 November marks the start of the International Diabetes Federation's Diabetes Awareness Month - and the JDRF have decided to dedicate the first day of Diabetes Awareness Month to Type 1 Diabetes.

The launch kicks off with a video called "Give Type 1 The Finger"

Check it out!



You can find out more information about JDRF's T1Day by visiting the website:

And also by visiting the myJDRF Facebook page:

One of the most important things about raising awareness about Diabetes during Diabetes Awareness Month and, in particular on T1Day and World Diabetes Day on 14 November, is to remind people that although in most Western countries Type 1 Diabetics more often than not have ready access to insulin and medical supplies, there are many, many people in less developed countries who do not.

Please watch the following videos - and let's get together this month to do whatever we can to give this young man and others just like him access to the lifesaving medication that those of us who are more fortunate sometimes take for granted.

To find out how YOU can help please follow these links:

Below is the Award Winning "Life for a Child" documentary by Ed Lachman. The documentary runs for a little over 28 minutes. Please take the time to watch it. A larger version appears in the permanent links section at the bottom of this Blog.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Click to Watch Insulin For Life Video

Another walk - doing my bit for JDRF!

Well, I was far too exhausted to write a post yesterday, so time to get onto it now.

Yesterday Issie and I went to the JDRF Walk at Parramatta Park in Western Sydney. This is the biggest Walk in NSW.

We weren't walking for Team 2 SWEET at this event, instead we were there to help promote the JDRF Peer Support Program.

A few weeks ago I was asked if I would like to be one of the "pin-up girls" for the Peer Support program, along with one of the Sydney office co-ordinators, Vivienne Todd. Of course I accepted! Vivienne and I were then photographed for the new Peer Support flyers:

Vivienne and I were both there at the Parramatta walk yesterday, talking to parents about the Peer Support Program, trying to drum up volunteers and also letting people know that we're there to help!

Issie started out helping with the kids table where we had kids write their hopes or what a cure would mean to them on a Walk Boot which was then pinned to the Wall of Hope:

Issie's main job, however, was to babysit Vivienne's 5 year old T1D daughter and her friend and keep them occupied while Vivienne and I worked the crowd! Her first babysitting gig - which she took VERY seriously, and did a great job of looking out for hypos and getting her little charge straight to her mother if she suspected she may be a little low. She had a lot of fun with the girls and is now begging me to let her babysit other kids - she has a couple of years before she can do that though.

During the course of the day we had a lot of parents asking JDRF staff whether there was an online support service they could access because something like that suited their lifestyle and would allow them to access support when they needed it.

I am absolutely THRILLED to announce that the JDRF have been recommending the Parents of Aussie Kids with Type 1 Diabetes Support Network, a network I founded shortly after Issie's diagnosis, to families and I was called over to chat to various parents throughout the day about that support network and the kind of support offered there. This is a HUGE accomplishment for the Support Network because the JDRF now recognises the PAKWT1DSN as a safe and secure environment that has proven to be an amazing source of support and encouragement for families right across Australia. 

So, despite the pouring rain at one point, and the stifling heat and burning sun at another, the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes at Parramatta Park was a HUGE success!

Can't wait for next year!

Halloween is almost here!

Halloween has well and truly infiltrated the typical Aussie neighbourhood! Yes, there are still those that complain about it and say, "I don't believe in it - it's an American thing!", but, in actual fact, Hallowe'en originated in Europe with the Celtic festival of (Samhain pronounced sow-en). Samhain was considered a magical holiday, and there are many stories about what the Celtics practiced and believed during this festival. Some say the spirits that were unleashed were those that had died in that year, and offerings of food and drink were left to aid the spirits, or to ward them away. Other versions say the Celts dressed up in outlandish costumes and roamed the neighborhoods making noise to scare the spirits away.

In the First century A.D., the Roman Empire had taken over most of the Celtic lands. The Romans had two festivals also celebrated at the same time of year as Samhain. One was Feralia, also in late October, was the Roman day honouring the dead. The second festival was for Pomona, the Roman goddess of trees and fruit. Pomona's symbol was the apple. These two festivals were combined with Samhain in the Celtic lands during the four hundred years the Roman Empire ruled over the Celts. (from halloween-history.org)


With that history lesson out of the way - check out these links for some great ideas for getting through Halloween with kids with T1D!

My son was diagnosed less than a week before Halloween last year and was still on injections - so I was just a tiny bit stressed out about him roaming the streets and then dealing with the joys of BGL's in the mid to high 20's for a few hours that night!

This year, they're both on pumps so we should manage just fine! It's just a shame that Halloween is so close to the end of our school year here in Australia - otherwise I'd be putting all those high sugar treats into a big jar and taking them to the school nurse's office to be used as Hypo Treatments!

Wherever you are, and whatever your beliefs, I hope you have a magical night!

Walk Day for Team 2 Sweet!

Yesterday was JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes day for our family, and, by some miracle the rain held off once again!

The event we attended was the Sydney Harbour Twilight walk - and, as you can imagine, the spectacular scenery made for a very pleasant evening stroll and some lovely photos!

This year we were joined by family members and friends for the first time - everyone had a great time so we are hoping for Team 2 SWEET to be considerably larger next year!

This being our 2nd year doing the Walk we knew lots of people including other families who are part of our online support network as well as our lovely friends at the JDRF in Sydney.

We were also joined by a journalism student from UTS who contacted me earlier in the week to ask if we would be interested in participating in a video assignment about the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. 

The 2 Kids, along with other T1D kids, did their bit for the JDRF by providing some video footage to be used in JDRF marketing. Will be interesting to see if their contribution survives the cutting room - particularly given that BOTH kids had their faces painted with butterflies - yes, my 14 year old son included!

A special thanks to our lovely friend from Canada, Alex, who joined us for the Walk this year! Alex not only walked to support the 2 Kids, but also to support her mother who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes more than 20 years ago.

All in all - a lovely evening!