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This is YOUR month to SHINE....
Dear , November is here! That's right-- we're now into the month that has been declared a national honor to those of who are living with the disease of diabetes. While trying to determine the best strategy for motivating and empowering our specific group (women with diabetes), I came to an important conclusion.
WOMEN are the heartbeat of America! Whenever a social issue needs attention, women are the ones who get in there and make people take notice. Seeing recent videos from Maria Schriver's Annual Women's Conference and her upcoming nationally televised event to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease further solidified my thinking. But, "What can we do, as a unified group of women, to bring awareness to the unique challenges faced by women with diabetes?" I thought. After all, it takes a lot of courage, determination, and will to manage this disease on top of hormone fluctuations caused by menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause; work issues; relationship issues; body image issues; mental health issues; and other family member's health issues/concerns.
Hence, the orange:will campaign was born! What is orange:will? It is a national campaign to bring awareness of the unique issues and challenges faced by women with diabetes. I hope you will join us as we come together this month to celebrate-- US, women with diabetes! THIS IS YOUR MONTH TO SHINE! For more information about how you can get involved/help further this cause, I invite you to visit the DiabetesSisters News Briefs at the bottom of this newsletter.
In Sisterhood, Brandy Barnes Founder/CEO of DiabetesSisters |
|  Sister Spotlight...
Cherise Shockley
I was diagnosed with Type 1.5/ LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) in June of 2004. It was 6 months after I married the man of my dreams and 5 months after he was deployed to Iraq. I will never forget the words from Judy's mouth nor will I forget the words from mine. "How did I get diabetes?" and "What Type of diabetes do I have?" I was 23 years old, in shape and didn't eat junk food. I was in the Army Reserves for 5 years and I had a very active life style.I didn't know anything about Type 1 diabetes and knew very little about Type 2. I cried on the phone with my mother once. I decided to search the internet for anything about diabetes.I was on a mission to become a V.I.P. (very informed Patient) - I researched food, cures and how to live with diabetes. I was content but slowly slept into a funk! I got tired of testing, pricking and counting. A visit from my Mother in Law got me out of my funk. I looked in the mirror and promised myself I wouldn't hate diabetes. I love "ME" too much to hate something that is now a part of me. In 2008 I found Tudiabetes.org, DiabetesSisters.org and Diabetesdaily.com and lurked around for a while and became an active member of TuDiabetes.org. I found a home, support and figured out I wasn't the only person living with Type 1.5/LADA. I was able to ask other PWD's (People with Diabetes) questions and also answer questions. A few months after joining TuDiabetes I started my on blog "Diabetic_Iz_Me" to share my experience with diabetes and as therapy for myself. One day I was talking to a friend and she introduced me to Diabetes Sisters. I was amazed that not only is it for women but it is special because it's dedicated to women who live with diabetes. The organization has come so far since my first visit back in 2008. I am excited to see what the future holds for the community! The DOC (Diabetes Online Community) has a special place in my heart and knowing that I am not alone pushes me every day to be better and to take better care of myself.Diabetes is a pain in the donkey but overall it's been my blessing. I believe the Lord will never put more on me than I can handle. When you're having a hard time and diabetes is being a donkey-Take a look in the mirror, stand up straight, shoulders back and tell yourself "I am beautiful, there is more to me than diabetes. I will not let it win." Yes, it's rough but don't let diabetes steal your joy. Be Blessed |
DiabetesSisters News Briefs The orange:will campaign kicks off on Sunday, November 7, 2010 from 2-5pm at Gravy Restaurant (www.gravy-raleigh.com) located at 135 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27601 and will include  hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction to benefit diabetes support and research programs, and other fun activities. Everyone who knows, cares for, loves, or is a woman with diabetes is invited to attend. You can also purchase an orange:will t-shirt on-site for $15. If you have an item (art, tickets, gift certificate, etc.) that you would like to donate to DiabetesSisters for this event, please contact us immediately at jharrington@diabetessisters.org.
To support the orange:will campaign, simply upload an image of something orange that is meaningful to you at www.orangewill.org, wear orange during the month of November (National Diabetes Awareness Month),or purchase an orange:will t-shirt (FREE shipping until 11/30/10). The goal is to make orange synonymous with women's diabetes, just as pink represents breast cancer and red represents women with heart disease. Please invite your friends and family to upload a photo in honor of the strength and will you have illustrated in your management of diabetes. (It's important to note that strength and will does not translate to mean "perfection." Therefore, ALL women with diabetes are worthy of being honored!) The 2011 Weekend for Women Conference Series will kick off in Raleigh, NC April 29-May 1, 2011. Click here to register for email alerts about open registration, speakers, topic  s, etc. related to the Raleigh Conference. REGISTRATION will open on 1/1/11!
DiabetesSisters will be partnering with Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego, CA to bring the Weekend for Women Conference Series to the West Coast in 2011. The second Weekend for Women Conference will be held in San Diego, CA October 7-9, 2011. Click here to register for email alerts about open regsitration, speakers, topics, etc. regarding te San Diego Conference. Look for articles about DiabetesSisters in: - All You magazine (available at Wal-Mart check-out counters on Nov 26, 2010!) - Diabetes Forecast magazine (December 2010) |
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| IN THIS ISSUE
Nutrition Tip of the Month: FALL HARVEST
Diabetes and the Law: Can I become a pilot? |
NEW VIDEOS 
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Featured Article: The Role of Diabetes In Your Eye Health  Most people are probably completely unaware that diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in America. In fact, approximately 10 million Americans have diabetic retinopathy.
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REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING EVENT:
PODS MEETUPS QUARTERLY GATHERINGS CONFERENCES *Registration coming soon |
STAY IN TOUCH  |
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