On her way.
In a little while Kaitlyn boards a plane bound for the Children With Diabetes (CWD) Conference in Canada. It’s snowing, and that is cause for a little anxiety. It’s on a plane, and that always has its parent-self-inflicted anxiety level (funny thing is that when I fly, I have little). She will be in a foreign country……I know it’s our closest friends in Canada, but still….it’s acroos our border.
What I have little worry about is her diabetes. Perhaps it’s because she will be at CWD conference or perhaps it’s because I know how hard she works at it. I know, I know, it can always derail; I get that; but I remember another time just like it.
When Kaitklyn was growing up it was a rite of passage to go to the deli a few blocks away. When you could walk with your friends without being accompanied by an adult. Kids usually bought chips or soda or something like that and early on Kaitlyn’s love for deli pickles worked in our favor very, very, well. It was a funny observance that over the years, almost each participant left the junk food for Kaitlyn’s favorite also. I remember the first time I watched them walk down the block thinking ‘this is a very good thing’ and knew she would return safely.
Today is such a day. She is going to help others. She is going to be with younger ones and at times she will share what she knows and she will also be ready to help. CWD is a very important place for us as a family. If you have not been to a conference, you should go and I will write more about that in the not-to-distant-future.
When was it that you realized your child, was ‘on their way’? Please share.
Today, a jet will take-off and Kaitlyn will be on it. ‘On her way’ in more ways than one. She will go, help, and return safely……..a far cry from the deli but still, ‘a very good thing’.
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4 replies on “Taking Off……She is on Her Way”
She’ll have a blast.
Tom, I know how you feel. This is Devin’s first day of working on the hospital floor and my gut is to ask her if her scrubs have a pocket for glucose tabs and which of her colleagues knows she has diabetes and how to recognize a low. She’s not in a foreign country, but just over an hour away from me. Still, the anxiety is there and I know always will be. But we did good Tom and our babies are going to be okay.:)
You have every right to be very proud of that young lady.
When I hear CWD mentioned, and even your name Tom, I get a rush of jumbled words and emotions with tears of joy welling in my eyes. I know, it sounds dramatic… but its true. I am litterly sitting her with tears running down my face as I write this. I hope you have patience to hear me out.
My son was diagnosed with T1 on 10/13/2005. Another near death episode becuase of medical professional ignorance, and my own lack of knowlege of diabetes. He survived but had a long hard road through adolecence. Many trips to the ER, counseling, and dangerous situations. I tried everything: counseling, bribing, screaming, and crying. I litterly came to the conclusion that I could not control his life or death fate.
The year he graduated High School (1 year late) I told myself I would make one last ditch effort to put a tool in front of him to try and save hs life. At this point he had an A1c of over 14% for three years straight and was in and out of the hospital with DKA several times. I gathered enough funds to take him and his girlfriend to the CWD conference in Orlando, FL. The condition for this Disney World trip was that he had to attend the conference.
Another rush of emotions and stories comes at this point, but I am sure I’m running out time and maybe your patience. Let me just end by saying that the CWD conference saved his life. I mean that statement litterly and with all my heart.
Thank you for all that you do, and for all that CWD does. You and all the volunteers and staff with CWD have a direct impact on the qualiy of life for our T1 community.