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When Lightning Strikes… Twice

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They say lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. I don’t believe it. Saturday our family was struck for the second time…with Juvenile Diabetes. On our recent trip to California, I noticed my eleven-year-old son, Riley, kept asking to stop for the restroom. Once. Again. And again. A bit of fear shot down my back. It all felt so familiar… it had been a road trip eight years ago when my oldest son showed his first symptoms. Often times, it takes a long drive to really see how often your child is using the bathroom. I mean, once they’re … Continue reading →

A Picture Book for Kids with Juvenile Diabetes

I am very excited about a project I’m working on with my mentor and hero, Rick Walton. Rick has a son with juvenile diabetes, and I have two, and because we write picture books, we decided to join forces and create a book for very young children who are newly-diagnosed with the disease. The book will be donated to kids in the hospital, as a gift inside the “bags of hope” which contain items to help these newly-diagnosed children (and their parents) cope. Pitching the Book Although we had seen picture books written about diabetes, we hadn’t seen one specifically … Continue reading →

A Toast to Parents of Special Needs Kids

With the year 2006 coming to a close, let’s consider the milestones our children have reached these past twelve months. As parents of special needs kids, we already know that comparing our sons or daughters with other children their age, or with a teacher or doctor’s random expectations, can be discouraging. So we don’t. We learn to make comparisons only with the past. What steps have our children taken this year, no matter how small or unsteady, which have moved them just a little bit further down their own path? Were there any “miracle moments,” or breakthroughs? What about silly … Continue reading →

A Special Show-and-Tell

I was talking to my twelve-year-old son’s teacher in a conference. “He’s a perfectionist,” the teacher said. “He works so hard at perfecting his assignments, he often doesn’t finish.” I looked over his grades. They weren’t bad grades, but they certainly weren’t indicative of his abilities. My son Riley is a high-achiever. This is a child who, when asked to create a simple comic strip for art, spent days mapping out a fantasy world with dragon-like creatures, then wrote a plot, character description, and an episodic story line. He often goes well beyond what is expected. “What do you think … Continue reading →

Agonizing Journey: The Undiagnosed Child

When a child is born with (or develops) physical problems, parents experience a sense of panic: What is wrong with our baby? The anomalies might be obvious or subtle. Sometimes it is only a parent’s “gut feeling” indicating that something just isn’t right. There are few things as frightening as having a baby or child with an unknown medical condition. When Parents Become Medical Researchers Many parents find their feet set upon this difficult, frustrating path. They become their child’s own medical researcher, trying to find a diagnosis that matches the baffling symptoms. Along this mysterious journey, their child might … Continue reading →

Being “The Blood Sugar Police.” A Job I Didn’t Apply For

The title of “Mom” comes with many responsibilities. “Blood Sugar Police” was one I hadn’t planned on. It was one of those jobs I wish I could have politely turned down, but no. I was drafted into the position, like it or not, when my young son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age seven. Job Training I received my training at the Children’s Hospital of San Diego, where I learned to jab oranges with a syringe and measure blood sugar levels. (See my blog, “Oranges and Ball Machines: My Training In Caring for My Son’s Diabetes.”) I’ll be honest … Continue reading →