“Every Time I Hear the Music, I Just Have to Dance.” A Wonderful CWD Lesson for ALL of Us.

A Ceilidh, by definition, is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing and was started in Ireland and Scotland. It was probably made famous in the movie Titanic when Jack takes Rose to ‘his’ party in the deck below. It was the better party.

CWD had their version last night and our hosts in Scotland surely knew what they were doing making sure their American colleagues, in this diabetes battle, wore their kilts to perfection. The kids were dancing and so were the adults. What is the phrase? Ahhhhh yes, a good time was had by all.

My kids are both on an Animas pump, which is my fair disclosure. I ‘m not paid by Animas and I have met many people at Animas who, well, I just like. At the Children with Diabetes conference I met a person from Animas who mentioned a phrase to me that grabbed right at my soul. Aileen Durkan catches your attention as soon as you meet her. She has a warm smile and she connects with everyone who crosses her path, especially children.

She is the Ireland Regional Manager for Life Scan and Animas (hence my fair disclosure). She has a brother with Type 1 and she, like all of us, is driven to help this cause. I was one of the million people she got up on the dance floor. Now if you remember Titanic, this dancing is not for the weak-of-heart. It is fast, quick-stepped, and downright tiring. Now I’m not exaggerating when I tell you this women did not sit once all night. How she had the stamina is beyond my knowledge and comprehension. She was magnificent. When speaking with her she said, ‘Every time I hear the music, just have to dance.”

Every time I hear the music, I just have to dance.

What a fabulous phrase. Her colleagues informed me that Ms Durkan has that same music in her heart in everything she does and it is the children that receive that energy with her philosophy that every child deserves the best possible chance in life.

Ms. Durkan’s very existence is a lesson from which we all have much to take away. There is much to do in the diabetes world we live. We all look for the way to get things done and certainly life has thrown many obstacles in our way.

It is what we do with life’s challenges, how we handle them, that define who we are. We are given a choice on how we go about our daily battles with diabetes; to just do it, do it grudgingly, do it with anger, do it with rage, or to do it with music in your heart.

The goal is for a better life for our kids until a cure is found; and that is music to my ears and I’ll take a slice of that advice from Ms. Durkan……..I just have to dance.

I am a diabetes dad

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PLEASE Let These Wonderful People Know How Grateful we, as a Diabetes Community, are for their Efforts!!!!!!!

Lions Dancing Diabetes TicketsWelcome.  Here is your ticket to enter a fabulous world.  I am absolutely exhausted.  I am absolutely exhilarated.  I am absolutely thrilled.  For the past few months, we Suffolk County LIONs Diabetes Education Foundation members have been working on a project to raise money to do what we do to help people with diabetes. 

Yesterday we held our inaugural Dancing for Diabetes at the beautiful Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts.  Lions DIabetes Dancing Marquee

The brain child of LION Frank Compoccio was to have Dance Schools perform all day long in groups of around five schools each, that way we would have dancers all day long.  Interesting concept; would it work? 

Well it worked indeed and over 25 schools participated along with 600 dancers of every age from 8 on up.  Fabulous.  These dancers were as good as you can get and as professional as one could hope.  They volunteered their time; they danced; their parents donated and over a thousand people came.  Over $22,000 was raised from the event—-JUST FABULOUS. 

Lions Dance DIabetes Check presentationThey sold tickets and when that was not enough they donated checks from their own school as pictured here.

As a parent of two children with diabetes, I was so moved by the professionalism, the spirit, and the willingness to help by all of the attendees. 

 

 

 

 

Frank knew so many people in the ‘business of dance’ and they all volunteered their time.  For my loved ones with diabetes, and for yours. JUST Amazing.  Frank was fabulous.

Frank gave plaques to every school and certificates to every dancer….he said he wantedLions Dancing Diabetes Frank this event to be run professionally and it was.  Here he thanks his fabulous crew who all volunteered for over 12 hours on the day of the event….so much more preparing

We do what we do for our loved ones because we do.  People who do not have that personal connection and their love and support; well that will humble us to our knees.  Enjoy seeing how so many helped our loved ones.

Thank you to everyone who helped and participate; the Dance Schools, the parents, those WONDERFUL DANCERS, and the Suffolk County LIONs Diabetes Education Foundation.  On this day you made a difference and we, the DIabetes Community thank you from the bottom of our grateful hearts.

Enjoy some GREAT shots of the day.

LIONS Dance for Diabetees FireladiesThese young ladies performed an incredibly moving
tribute to our fallen firemen

 

 

 

 

 

Very unique tribute to ‘a few elders’.Lions Dance diabetes old ladies

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lions Dance girls in red

 

 

 

Faces of young dancers ready to go!!!!

 

They were as graceful…………Lions dance diabetes frilly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As they wereLions Diabetes Dance for brian dedicated to helping those with diabetes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So many Volunteered their time.
Lions dance Lion members

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And they kept dancing, and dancing.
Lions Diabetes Dannce black chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all.
I am a GRATEFUL Diabetes dad.

Do You Dance?

 

Every summer thousands of young ladies attempt to be part of the Rockettes Super Intensive (RSI) program.  “Super”–beyond the norm.  More intense than intense.

Those who are accepted are challenged to push beyond their limits of dance endurance.  Dare I say even ‘breathing endurance’.   And when they are finished…..they are challenged to push themselves even harder.  They push and push and maybe, perhaps, they might even be asked to audition for the actual Rockette line.

Their sweat pushes off their bodies and the unrelenting instructor pushes the timing, the quickness, and of course that world-famous precision.

Discipline and strength beyond human endurance just to get a feel what it is like to be ‘that’ precise; ‘that’ good, and full of ‘that’ much confidence…..all in one week to feel a little like a Rockette.   Thousands want it, few get the opportunity.

Would we ever take our (or our children’s) diabetes ‘that’ seriously?  Rockettes Super Intensive seriously?

And in this RSI session is a young lady named Lauren.  She wants to be a Rockette so badly she can taste the idea of becoming one.  And yet, she is part of RSI and she IS DOING it with type 1 diabetes.  How serious do you think she must be with her diabetes?  

Today I’m humbled.  Her story is an incredible one, she is a young lady but she is a child too.  People with diabetes are incredible; they do everything with the intensity of a Rockette; they have to–the kickline of their lives depend on it.

I’m a Diabetesdad.