Diabetes Desires

Shop for Cure - Yard sale to raise money

Last spring after a month of serious spring cleaning, I held a yard sale.  I decided to give all the proceeds of the yard sale, which I named “Shop for a Cure”, to one of my favorite charities, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  In essence, the yard sale would raise money and awareness about Type 1 diabetes. 

To promote “Shop for a Cure” I bought a newspaper ad, sent an email blast to my contacts, and posted to my Facebook page as well as on Central Virginia’s JDRF page.  So, over at least 1,000 people potentially saw that they could “Shop for a Cure” at the yard sale, and the need to raise money for diabetes research and a cure.  Everyone who purchased something at the yard sale was thanked for their contribution to JDRF and often they would say “keep the change” or they would donate an extra dollar or two to JDRF.

I had the pleasure of talking at length to three people affected by diabetes.  One woman worked for the jewelry company, Silpada.  Her friend’s son has Type 1 diabetes and is the reason that Silpada sells silver polishing cloths for $4, donating $1 of every sale to JDRF.  Another woman’s brother trains diabetes helping dogs.  He has had Type 1 for over fifty years and can’t detect when his blood sugar drops and he goes low. Thanks to his dogs, he no longer goes so low that he passes out and ends up in the emergency room.   His dogs lick him when his blood sugar drops to 80.  The dogs are lifesavers for him.  He has two dogs, so they can take turns working, because it is extremely stressful for dogs (and anyone) to work 24/7.  I just wonder how you tell a dog “hey buddy your off now”.  The last one was a mother of a teenage daughter who was not connected with anyone else with diabetes.  We agreed an online site connecting local teens/adults was necessary.

At the end of the day, most of my “stuff” was gone.  My prices were low—most stuff was priced under $5 and by days end everything was under $1.  My final tally $150 wasn’t much, considering how much time it took to sort, price and set up and clean up.  However, when I consider how many people heard about the work of JDRF and the need for a cure for diabetes, it was totally worth it.

Gazelle in a herd of zebras

Ten years ago I was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.  Up until this point, I didn’t know anyone with diabetes.  I had recently turned forty and was taking care of myself, exercising almost daily, eating a pretty well balanced diet, and as added insurance, taking my vitamins.  I assumed I had the genes for living a long and healthy life, since three of my grandparents lived disease-free and independently well into their nineties.  

So, I was incredulous when I heard “you have Type 1 diabetes”.  It seemed ridiculous and impossible that I could develop this disease.  Surely, I had something else.   Like most people, I assumed that Juvenile or Type 1 is a chronic disease that unfortunate children get for inexplicable reasons.  So, despite the fact that I had every symptom of Type 1 diabetes (rapid weight loss of 15 pounds, unquenchable thirst and super frequent urination) I still couldn’t believe it.  I was not reassured in the least when the endocrinologist said   “Don’t worry, this isn’t a death sentence.”    

He continued with “You are a gazelle in a herd of zebras.  Most of my patients are adults with Type 2, and they can take medication or even ‘cure themselves’ with diet and exercise.  You on the other hand, will need to start taking insulin shots for the rest of your life.  We’ll start out twice a day, and then we’ll move on to multiple injections”.  He handed me an ADA Forecast magazine and suggested I read it, and then let him know if there was anything interesting in it.

I went home dejected and to anxious about giving myself shots.  I was overwhelmed, scared and sad.  Most of all I felt so alone, despite the fact that my  10, 8 and 3 year old— not at all sure if Mommy was better or still sick—were giving me hugs to make me feel better.

Who could I talk to about this?  Who would understand?  No one, really.  And I had to go on and fix dinner.