Today is Day 4 of the Health Activists Writers Month Challenge

Today’s challenge: Create a “care page” – a list of your best resources that someone who is newly diagnosed could go to when starting to advocate for themselves or a loved one. 

Have I mentioned how incredibly disorganized I am? Being so disorganized is difficult and bothersome. My disorganization doesn’t just disrupt me it annoys the heck outta my husband too. Just last night I asked him to fix my email because I was trying to email myself pictures from a file to include in a collage for Day 3. He became distracted and highly aggravated by my disorganization – in his defense I had no less than 6 word documents open, my desktop is filled with other documents and pictures, and I have over 350 unread email messages. It drives his OCD brain insane. (He is not OCD when it comes to leaving socks, shoes, candy wrappers or coffee cups all over the house.)

I have known for sometime that if I would add all my favorite blogs and websites to a special ‘feed’ or ‘reader’ I wouldn’t spend so much time trying to find the pages again. I asked for help early last night regarding organizing my favorite blogs and web pages and a dear friend from the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) agreed to help but she can’t until Friday. Thus – I’m screwed for today’s prompt. Speaking of the DOC – you can find so much support on twitter. Join Twitter – search the hashtags #DOC, #DSMA. You will never be alone with an entire community of people following you – free glitter, bacon and cupcakes for all newbies (all virtual btw – I’m not actually going to send you a bacon cupcake topped with glitter).

One of the first places I would suggest both D-rents (that’s parents of kids with diabetes – I totally only learned what Drents meant on Monday and I’ve been one for over 6 years) and PWD (People with diabetes) go after diagnosis is the JDRF website. Yes they are a fundraising organization but they do great things with those funds in addition to funding promising research that will one day end diabetes. THIS link will take newbies to specific pages for the newly diagnosed (both for drents and pwd) within the JDRF website. As far as the advocacy part of JDRF – you can create or join a walk team to raise money while raising awareness. I should mention that the JDRF focuses its awareness toward Type 1 diabetes but when a cure is created (let’s be honest it isn’t like we are going to turn over a rock and find it) it will benefit all people with diabetes.

So much text – here is a cool cat picture to break it up.

Another great recourse (also a fundraising organization doing wonderful things to advance diabetes awareness and end the decease) is the American Diabetes Association. THIS link is also specifically for the new diagnosed. It has tips and tools for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes management, how to get the best from your healthcare team, and you can register to join the TourdeCure (which I would be excited about if I was a cyclist) – it is exciting that so many PWD do ride and raise a great deal of awareness and money for research.

Advocating for your school aged child is likely one of the most frustrating and daunting tasks for parents of newly diagnosed children or to those that move from one location to another while trying to maintain some sort of consistency. One of the best resources I have used while advocating for my children at school can be found HERE. It has oodles and oodles of information. I wouldn’t try to wade through it all at once. If your child isn’t in school yet I would suggest taking time to read and familiarize yourself with laws (both federal and state), read sample 504 plans (legal documents that protect your child at school), and print out the resources for teachers and classmates. The Children With Diabetes Organization also has a great page that shares webpages to help advocate for yourself or your children. Find that HERE. Honestly just go to the CWD website and poke around for information regarding all things diabetes – be sure to check out the Friends For Life conference page and if you can go – GO. (It isn’t just for families with cwd they have adults with diabetes tracks at the conference too!)

I have a number of amazing websites and blogs listed here on my blog too – look to your right. I have been meaning to organize them better with descriptions about the authors and such but haven’t. (Have I mentioned Im disorganized?) I have also been meaning to figure out a way to keep YOU on my blog while also sending you to other great blogs but I haven’t done that either – the links will take you away from my blog so before you go to the others maybe bookmark mine or sign up to get my drivel awe inspiring babble prose sent to your inbox – I mean shit if you read all the way to this point clearly you find me riveting and here is another a cute cat picture.