My Biggest Blog Secret Ever is Yours for $10
I’m not a tell-all blogger, I don’t share the deepest, most personal struggles in my marriage or the most embarrassing thing my 11-year-old did at school or how my relatives make me crazy. My in-person relationships are more important than my blog and I’ve got to save something for my tell-all book, right? But this all changes today. I’m willing to give up my Biggest Blog Secret Ever to you for just $10.
DON’T READ THE REST OF THIS POST IF YOU DON’T HAVE $10 TO GIVE ME.
Legal notice: Reading past this paragraph indicates your agreement to pay $10 for reading the Biggest Blog Secret Ever. No returns or exchanges. Not valid for those under eighteen or those residing in California.
If you are ready, only if you are fully committed, here it is…
My eleven-year-old, Noel, is a type 1 diabetic. This is my Biggest Blog Secret Ever because until now, Noel asked that I not write about this on my blog. For today only, she made an exception. So here is my one-time, limited-edition post about Noel and her diabetes.
I remember being in the hospital when she was first diagnosed, three years ago. Blue Eyes and I were pretty sure the diagnosis was a mistake and we found creative explanations for her extremely high blood sugar like the fact that she drank some fruit juice the night before. Later that day, the doctor was more direct with us, she said Noel was a type 1, insulin-dependent diabetic. Noel would need to prick her finger and take shots many times a day for the rest of her life. The nurse said it was time for her first shot now and this is what I thought…
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE F#$%#$%$ING KIDDING ME, YOU CAN’T DO THAT TO A KID, KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER!!!!!!!
I nearly jumped across the hospital room and pulled the shot out of her hand.
But I didn’t.
Noel took the shot calmly and bravely.
I was terrified.
On the last day in the hospital, the Children’s Hospital sponsored an event for the patients in the lobby. University of Texas football players would be there to talk with the kids and volunteers would hand out teddy bears. We had planned on going, but then it was time for Noel to have her flu shot, which is required for diabetics, since getting the flu makes the blood sugar harder to manage. While Noel had managed the insulin shots so well for three days now, she was having a fit about the flu shot. She was crying, the parents were upset, the whole scene was a mess. At one point I figured that having three parents in the room (Blue Eyes, me and Noel’s Mom - I’m Noel’s Step-Mom) was probably not helping, so I went to the lobby to see if I could get a teddy bear for Noel.
When I got there, it was humbling. I saw so many kids who were really, really sick. Kids in wheel chairs. A little kid laying down in a red wagon, leaning against pillows, not able to sit up. IVs, bald heads, pale faces.
Noel was diabetic.
Noel could run, dance, sing and play.
Noel was coming home with us that day. I had a lot to be thankful for.
I explained to one of the volunteers that my daughter wasn’t able to come down and I asked if I could I take a bear up to her. The volunteers were concerned. They assumed that my daughter was very sick, too sick to be moved or leave her room. They were SOOOOOO understanding and SOOOOOO helpful. They said that they were going to visit the sickest kids in their rooms and if I let my daughter’s nurse know, then she would be on the list and one of the football players would bring her a bear a little later.
I tried to explain that no, my daughter was not on the list, she isn’t that sick, she is just mad about the flu shot, that’s all, but I hadn’t gotten all of that out when Noel comes running around the corner, the healthiest looking kid you have ever seen in a children’s hospital and I got the funniest looks from the volunteers. Was it a miracle cure or was I a freak of a Mom? They never knew for sure.
My biggest story about Noel’s diabetes is how proud I am of her. She learned about the disease and she knows how to manage her insulin and food. She is responsible with the choices she makes and the extra things she needs to remember.
She doesn’t feel sorry for herself.
She doesn’t let it dominate her life.
I am amazed by her every day and I’m so very, very proud.
Which brings me to the conclusion, which is, you owe me $10. Noel, family and friends are walking in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk for a Cure in a few weeks and we are raising money for our team. This is why Noel gave me the one day exception, because maybe it could help us raise more money.
Here is the link to the JDRF site which handles the money. I would appreciate a donation SOOOOOOOO very much.
