| | | August 2009
DiabetesSisters August Newsletter
| “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do."
Greetings DiabetesSisters Members, This quote has a bit of double meaning to me right now and if I really think about it I can find a third meaning. Let me explain…for the past years or so I have been fortunate enough to travel outside of the United States on an annual basis. This time, I just returned from a trip to Panama where I spent half of my time on the Caribbean beaches trying to learn how to surf - I think I’ll stick with triathlons! The other half of my trip was spent in Panama City where I engrossed myself in the Panamanian culture – both in learning the country’s history and attending a genuine Panamanian wedding. Trips like that always broaden my horizons by forcing me to get out of my comfort zone and really appreciate other cultures and that of my own. I spent a good deal of time thinking about the readers of DiabetesSisters and how amazing it is to know that we all come from all parts of the globe. I hope that you all continue to connect via the web through our Women’s Forum, buddy program and perhaps even outside of the DiabetesSisters website and continue to share your experiences living as a women with diabetes! Ok, so back to my quote. As I was considering what to write this month and how to begin I decided to do a quick search for quotes about the world to describe how we really are a global community. I came across the above quote by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Some of you may have heard of her, she is the author of the Simple Abundance journals. I was first given one of these journals when I was 14 or 15 and committed to recording one positive thing that happened to me every day. In my opinion, the great thing about these journals is that even if you are having a bad day, you can turn back a few pages to previous entries and remind yourself of what has given you joy in the past week. After reading a few entries I was surely out of my bad mood and reminded no matter how big I thought my problems were at the time, there was always something to be thankful for. And all of us, as women with diabetes can take that message as well as the message in the quote and apply it to ourselves. If your goal is to lower your A1c and you‘ve had 3 “good” blood sugar days and then on the 4th you experienced a few highs…well that can be discouraging. But if you look back at the last three days and realize that YES you did have 3 days of superb blood sugars, hopefully that will give you inspiration for tomorrow. Your dream, idea, or goal could be anything from a personal health-related goal to something as lofty as establishing a well known and respected organization to serve all women with diabetes. The important thing is to keep dreaming and keep doing; always maintain tenacity! One day you will have accomplished whatever it is you set out to do! Until next month! Laura Ely Communications Coordinator | | A Special Invitation: The Roche Diabetes Social Media Summit DiabetesSisters received a very special invitation to attend the Roche Diabetes Social Media Summit. Founder/Executive Director Brandy Barns gives an insider's view into the conference...  I, along with 29 of my well-known colleagues in the diabetes web world, ventured to the headquarters of Roche Diagnostics in Indianapolis, IN on July 22nd for a monumental meeting of the minds. The group of invitees represented the entire spectrum of ages, each with our own twist/focus on diabetes, and we came from all over the US. What a glorious group of accomplished individuals in the diabetes world! The Summit kicked off with a dinner on Wednesday evening at Maggiano’s Italian Restaurant. Many members of Roche Upper Management were in attendance, including Roche's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Roche Diabetes Care North America and their VP of Marketing for Diabetes Care in Roche Diagnostic Corporation. A number of them actually had diabetes themselves! The evening mainly consisted of mingling among the crowd and trying to connect names with faces. Although we did spend time meeting the Roche staff, a majority of the time was spent sharing diabetes stories and getting to know one another. Thursday started with each of us introducing ourselves, our websites and/or our cause. Since we people with diabetes are known for having a lot to say, this process took quite a while! Next, we moved into a discussion of topics such as: how to reach more of the unreached population of people with diabetes (via the web). Some ideas included providing a list of web resources to newly diagnosed patients (i.e. in diabetes care packets) and creating an all-encompassing web directory that lists all of the online diabetes resources and their URLs. Another topic we discussed was how to change the image of people with diabetes from one of unhealthy, older, and overweight to one of healthy, strong, and positive. Over lunch, we discussed our ideas for new products with Roche management and learned about the tedious process involved in creating, testing, and getting new products approved. As the world’s leader in test strip production and the maker of seven different blood sugar meters, Roche has a good bit of experience with this process! After lunch, we discussed the Do’s and Don’ts for Pharmaceutical Companies in the world of Social Media. Both of our sessions were led by our fearless leaders, Amy Tenderich (of Diabetes Mine) and Manny Hernandez (of TuDiabetes). The day concluded with a tour of the test strip manufacturing plant. Unfortunately, I had to catch my plane and I missed the tour. Maybe next time!?!? Anyway, from my perspective it was a very powerful meeting. For starters, it validated the work I have done on behalf DiabetesSisters. It also gave me a great deal of insight into Roche Diagnostics and the people behind the name. It made me think more deeply about how to create a healthy relationship between a nonprofit organization and a for-profit corporation. For Roche, we provided a face for the label of "diabetes" and gave them some serious ideas to consider. Finally, it gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the “big names” of the diabetes social media world all in one room. Thanks to everyone for the memories! | DiabetesSisters Sister Spotlight is back!
Meet our new CDE, Jennifer Stallings! Jennifer will partner with our current CDE, Camille Izlar to answer YOUR questions regarding women and diabetes. Jennifer was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1985. Growing up with diabetes fed her current passion for helping others learn to manage and live successfully with the disease. Jennifer graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelors in Dietetics and went on to complete her internship at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fl. Since then she has worked in various settings in various capacities in the diabetes field. She has served as a clinical dietitian for a hospital, the Director of Nutrition Services, a Certified Diabetes Educator for Marshall University and currently the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jennifer’s extensive knowledge about insulin pumps has led her to be a certified pump trainer for both Medtronic Insulin Pump Company (MiniMed Pump) and Smith’s Medical Insulin Pump Company (Cozmo). Jennifer has also worked with local school systems to help develop and implement programs for food allergies and diabetes. Jennifer has had the opportunity to work with the type 2 diabetes population as well serving as a Coordinator or Diabetes Educator for ADA Recognition Programs since 1999. These programs help individuals with type 2 diabetes learn how to manage the ins and outs of living with type 2 diabetes such as common medications, proper diet and exercise. Jennifer’s involvement with the diabetes community doesn’t only occur in the clinic setting. She has conducted grocery store tours for people with diabetes, participated and helped fundraise for the JDRF and ADA walks since 2000. She is the current co-captain for the ADA’s Step Out and Walk to Fight Diabetes UNC Diabetes Care Center Team with other DiabetesSisters volunteer, Laura Ely. This year Jennifer also plans on working on the ADA’s “Safe at School” program; a State mandated program to provide education to schools regarding diabetes. | | New York Academy of Sciences to Host Type 2 Diabetes Symposium Type 2 Diabetes Disparities in Ethnic Minorities: Origin, Challenges, and Solutions Symposium This afternoon meeting will convene physicians, endocrinologists, cardiologists, nutritionists, care-givers, sociologists, public heath experts, policy-makers, epidemiologists, patient-advocacy groups and community leaders, among others, to discuss the origin of Type 2 diabetes disparities in minority populations, associated cardiovascular complications, and the public health approaches to control and prevent the disease epidemic.
This symposium is anticipated to help develop culturally sensitive prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and disease management programs for patients and healthcare providers. Location: New York City Date: September 15, 2009 - 12:30pm - 6:30pm
For More Information on Speakers and Registration for this event please visit the NYAS website. | | | | News Briefs, Updates & Events!
| | DiabetesSisters became a federally recognized 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization on January 21st, 2009. All donations are now tax deductible.
August's Featured Blog of the Month: Crash Kit by Sara our Student Blogger
The 2010 Weekend for Women Conference hosted by DiabetesSisters and TCOYD will take place on May 22-23 in Raleigh, NC. Stay tuned for more details to come!
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