| | | February 2010
DiabetesSisters February Newsletter
| Take time to love your diabetes this month!
Happy February, DiabetesSisters! When considering what to write this month I brainstormed on how to incorporate the spirit of Valentine's Day into my piece. And in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I'd like to encourage our readers to embrace and celebrate your diabetes. Yes, I know that diabetes can get us down - it's not usually the top thing on our list to celebrate. But for me, the only way to live successfully with this life-long disease is to keep a positive mental attitude. Finding ways to see the good in living with diabetes can really make a huge difference in how you manage the disease. So, I've come up with a few ideas that may help you find ways to say "I <3 You" to diabetes: - How many times a day do you check your blood sugar? Suffer from sore fingers as a result? Why not treat your frequently-pokes fingers to a manicure!
- Do you have a special nurse, doctor or diabetes educator that has made a difference in your diabetes experience? Why not send them a valentine to thank them for everything they've done for you!
- Tired of the little black bag that you use to carry your meter around? Buy a small cosmetic bag in a fun color to spruce up your diabetes supplies.
- Treat yourself to the 2010 DiabetesSisters Weekend for Women Conference in Raleigh, NC. Click here for more information!
Happy Valentine's Day DiabetesSisters!
Until next month! Laura Ely Communications Coordinator | 2010 DiabetesSisters Weekend for Women hosted by DiabetesSisters and TCOYD Read here each month to find out the recent happenings with Weekend for Women We would like to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has registered for the 2010 Weekend for Women Conference, hosted by DiabetesSisters and TCOYD! In just one month we have a total of 50 registrants! Sign up now to reserve your spot at this special event! From here until the Weekend for Women Conference in May, we will highlight one of our exciting sessions in the monthly newsletter. This month, we'll share a little bit about one of our Breakout Sessions at the Conference. The Pregnancy Panel Naturally, if you are between the ages of 18-40, you may wonder what effect diabetes may have on your own health and your baby’s health during pregnancy. With the right care and management, you can have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Join us at the Pregnancy Panel Breakout Session to hear from women with various types of diabetes who have been through pregnancy! One of our panelists has been through three successful pregnancies! You'll also have the opportunity to ask the questions you've been dying to ask! Cost for attendance at this life-changing Conference is $100. The actual value of the Conference is $400 per person. As a result, attendance is limited to the first 100 registrants, so please REGISTER now! You may consider asking for it for Mother's Day-- which is May 9, 2010.
The Weekend for Women Conference will take place in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday, May 22nd (immediately following the TCOYD Conference) and end on Sunday, May 23rd. To find out additional information about the Weekend for Women location, registration and cost click here! | The DiabetesSisters Sister Spotlight!
Meet Rhonda Michaels Williams... It seems that we all have pivotal moments in our lives that truly change our course, our perspective, our outlook on life or all of the above. That moment for me was in Nov. 2005 when I was diagnosed with diabetes. I learned of this diagnosis in a very unconventional way – from a routine physical for a life insurance policy. I didn’t feel poorly, I was never hospitalized and there was nothing really out of the ordinary. In fact I actually felt pretty good the day I was diagnosed. I had just been through an extremely stressful time period as I was finishing up my Master’s degree and starting a business simultaneously so I suppose I just was not all that tuned into myself or what my body was telling me. When I think back to the days prior to diagnosis I remember several extremely hypoglycemic episodes, remarkable weight loss, frequent thirst and urination. I never once stopped to think anything was “wrong” with me and I just wrote it off as “being too stressed.”
I remember the days following diagnosis of not knowing what to do, how I should eat and what this meant for the rest of my life. I found those first few months after diagnosis to be pretty lonely. I felt like my doctors just gave me textbook answers to explain how to manage the disease and they didn’t really have time to teach me all the “ins and outs.” A mutual friend recommended that I contact Brandy Barnes the founder of DiabetesSisters because she also had diabetes. Brandy talked openly with me about her experience, and I distinctly remember her saying that this shouldn’t ruin my life. I remember hanging up the phone and thinking, “it’s not that bad and I can do this.”
At the time of diagnosis, my boyfriend (now husband) was there every step of the way. He educated himself on diabetes, and he was my solid rock as I navigated my way through figuring out how to live life with diabetes. I have never been one to ask “why me,” but in the weeks and months following diagnosis I had my fair share of sadness, disappointment and uncertainty. Fast forward to another pivotal moment in life when he sat me down and said, “You can do this and I will help you.” That may not seem all that significant, but those words were exactly what I needed to just accept the diagnosis and go about creating a happy, healthy life for myself.
It’s been almost 5 years since diagnosis, and I can honestly say these have been the best years of my life. I met and married my husband, we’ve had the opportunity to travel frequently, and along with my business partner I have grown our company Empower Personal Training exponentially. I have a great network of friends, and I have the support of my family to manage my diabetes instead of letting it manage me. Of course I still have moments of frustration when my blood sugars are high or low, or I just don’t feel like working to maintain such tight control. It’s at these times that I rely on my social network and turn to websites like DiabetesSisters to gain perspective from other women in my shoes.
We all have these pivotal moments that have a lasting impact on our lives. We can choose to accept these changes as opportunities or we can choose to be the victim. I choose acceptance!
| So you said you wanted to be on Oprah?!?
In last month's newsletter, Founder/Executive Director, Brandy Barnes sent out a call to action to get women with diabetes/DiabetesSisters on Oprah. In response, many of you sent articles to Oprah! About a year and a half ago, I discovered a group called DiabetesSisters which offers support and education for women with any form of diabetes. Through connecting with other women with Type 1, I finally found what I didn't realize I had been looking for for so long: a community of women who share the same frustrations (and accomplishments!) as me and a group who can support and empower me as I face the challenges of diabetes. Thanks to their encouragement and the strength I've gained from volunteering with DiabetesSisters, I lost 38 pounds in 2009, went on an insulin pump, have gotten my A1C down to 7% (with more improvement to go!), and I am running my first half-marathon this weekend! Everyone has a story and for women with diabetes these stories often include fear, loneliness and discouragement. I strongly believe in the empowerment women provide each other, even if we live oceans away and have never met. It changed, no saved, my life!
-Laura Watson, Age 30, Type 1 Diabetes, Business Administrator
Brandy Barnes, with husband, Chris, at a taping of The Oprah Show on January 28, 2010. Check out her blog to read more and see the video of the show itself! (Brandy acquired tickets through Oprah's online lottery system.) DiabetesSisters will continue the campaign to get women with diabetes/DiabetesSisters featured on the Oprah Show or in O Magazine. Please do you part by sending an email to Oprah! We're getting closer!
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| | | News Briefs, Updates & Events!
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The 2010 Weekend for Women Conference hosted by DiabetesSisters and TCOYD will take place on May 22-23 in Raleigh, NC. We're now looking people to help us plan this exciting event. Email
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and stay tuned for more details to come!
DiabetesSisters became a federally recognized 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization on January 21st, 2009. All donations are now tax deductible.
February's featured Blog of the Month:
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Thank you to our 2010 Weekend for Women Sponsors!
Diamond Sponsors Ruby Sponsors Amethyst Sponsors   Uzima Springs Massage |
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