Caregiving
Since the time of my son’s diagnosis with type 1 diabetes (T1D), I have dedicated my life to doing everything I can to find a cure for T1D. To that end I have actively used my pen and my voice to champion efforts to raise funds and awareness to cure T1D.
But more recently, I’ve realized that while many of us parents have access to excellent medical professionals to care for our chronically ill child, few resources are available to help us process the emotional stress associated with managing our child’s care. And so, we live with constant fear, exhaustion, and worry as we try to incorporate the disease into the rhythm of family life.
I wrote Chronic Hope to fill that void.
I hope reading Chronic Hope feels like you’re engaged in a conversation with a friend, where my stories encourage you to discover hope in the long journey. The resources below help us continue the conversation as we hunt for hope in the journey together.
My writing can also be found around the web
Letting Go Of The Way Things Were
What we have been called to as parents of a child with T1D is hard and can leave us physically and emotionally drained. While it is my son who lives with Type 1 diabetes, I discovered the disease also invaded me personally, and hasn’t left any single aspect of my life untouched or unaltered.
The Day My Son’s Endo Kicked Me Out
My attempt at peer-to-peer advice came off as so much mother nagging, and within moments we were stuck in a steely silence caused by hurt feelings and full-blown diabetes fatigue.
What Saved My Son’s Life
Pack the glucagon when you travel! A story of a worst-case scenario on a family trip to Costa Rica—with a happy ending thanks to packing prepared!
The Stomach Flu Away From Home
The texts from my son had come at 1:58 a.m. “Just threw up.” “I have a stomach virus.” Instantly, I was awake and on hyper D-mom overdrive. Attempts to reach my college freshman son went unanswered for an agonizingly long and frightful 25 minutes.
6 Must-Knows For The College Sick Day With T1D
The day you send your kiddo to college is a stressful one. Here is my advice on the six must-knows for your T1D college sick day.
My writing can also be found around the web
Letting Go Of The Way Things Were
What we have been called to as parents of a child with T1D is hard and can leave us physically and emotionally drained. While it is my son who lives with Type 1 diabetes, I discovered the disease also invaded me personally, and hasn’t left any single aspect of my life untouched or unaltered.
The Day My Son’s Endo Kicked Me Out
My attempt at peer-to-peer advice came off as so much mother nagging, and within moments we were stuck in a steely silence caused by hurt feelings and full-blown diabetes fatigue.
What Saved My Son’s Life
Pack the glucagon when you travel! A story of a worst-case scenario on a family trip to Costa Rica—with a happy ending thanks to packing prepared!
The Stomach Flu Away From Home
The texts from my son had come at 1:58 a.m. “Just threw up.” “I have a stomach virus.” Instantly, I was awake and on hyper D-mom overdrive. Attempts to reach my college freshman son went unanswered for an agonizingly long and frightful 25 minutes.
6 Must-Knows For The College Sick Day With T1D
The day you send your kiddo to college is a stressful one. Here is my advice on the six must-knows for your T1D college sick day.
A few reflections from the caregiving journey
How to Handle Fear in Managing Your Child’s T1D
When my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age five, I thought the greatest fear in managing my child's T1D would be injecting him with insulin. I would soon discover there were far greater fears awaiting me as his caregiver. “What if his blood sugar drops...
After Diagnosis: Letting Go of The Way We Were
I was no stranger to T1D when my son was diagnosed with the disease at age five. My sister has been living with T1D since she was sixteen years old, and my brother died as he was being diagnosed with the disease when he was just eight years old. I was born eighteen...
I’m the texting type – a day in the life of T1D
I have been surrounded by loved ones affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D) my entire life—first as a sister, and then as a mother. And while raising a child with T1D has certainly given me a front-row seat to the challenges of managing this complicated disease, it was...
