Tag Archives: Auto-immune

JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes – 2013

Posted on by
Reply

I have been extremely busy lately, therefore, lack of blog posts. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about all the things on multiple lists that I have written down to blog about, daily 🙂

I’ve been busy, because it’s JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes season, which for me, is about a 7 month process, but is very intense for me for about two months each fall. If you don’t know who JDRF is, they’re the non-profit organization that is solely dedicated to preventing, treating, and curing type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease. I was diagnosed at the age of 25, and have been involved across all areas ever since, starting with the Tidewater Chapter in Virginia Beach, VA. When we relocated to San Diego, the Chapter was one of the first places I went.

Until recently I was the Volunteer Outreach Chair (VOC) for the San Diego Chapter, for a couple years; I was elected to the JDRF San Diego Board of Directors in June 2012, and just started my second year on the Board, and I’m the President of the San Diego YLC – Young Leadership Committee, a new initiative for the chapter. I am also a mentor for those in their time of need. I help lead my companies corporate JDRF Walk team each fall with different events throughout Walk season.

This will be my 7th walk, and I will go over $30,000 personally fundraised! I do it, because I believe in the organization, and what they’re doing. They still give me hope today. I have remained firm in my commitment to them. If you have time, please read my 2013 fundraising letter: T1D, A Family Disease, and consider supporting the cause if you can. I promise, I represent your dollars to the best of my ability.

Diabetes Blog Week 2013 Day 5-Freaky Friday

Posted on by
Reply

Just like in the movie, today we’re doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you choose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while we’re considering other chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions?

Super easy question for me: I’d choose celiac disease. I am so incredibly passionate about health, overall wellness and food. I’m such a foodie, and I love finding new ways to reinvent staple dishes, create new ones, and experiment, using healthier, different and a variety of ingredients. I love cooking for friends and family. I have a bumper sticker on my fridge that says, “Love People, Cook them Tasty Food.” I’ve been living the Paleo lifestyle for almost 2 years now, so I am gluten free as a result of that. There is nothing that I love more (okay, maybe a couple things) than being in the kitchen cooking and having fun with food. I find it so utterly calming and relaxing-which is apparent in the way my blood sugar reacts, it plummets as soon as I start getting the ingredients out 🙂

It’s my thought that with anything chronic, it isn’t about what you can’t have, but what you can, and working with that.

Yes and no; I don’t think the DOC specifically has affected the way I treat friends or acquaintances living with other medical conditions. Are you familiar with the color personality tests, where someone is designated one of four colors based on certain characteristics? I’m blue to the core, and always have been. Nurturing, trusting, empathetic, sensitive and always put others above myself, so I have always been probably over-sensitive and extremely observant to others needs. However, what the DOC has provided me, is an appreciation that we all come from different backgrounds, with varying life experiences that help shape who we are. When I didn’t have healthcare at diagnosis-who was there? The DOC. Having a chronic medical condition isn’t something to be ashamed of, but something to fuel you to help others, network and connect. I have some friends in the DOC that I consider close friends, that I know are there if I need them, and I haven’t even met them in person. This is pure awesome.