Leighann Calentine's Blog, page 11

Book Review: A Future With Hope

In A Future With Hope, Carl S. Armato shares what he has learned over the past 50 years of living with and managing type 1 diabetes.

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Novant Health. Additionally, Novant Health provided me with a copy of the book A Future With Hope for review consideration. Please read my disclosure statement. All opinions are my own.)

Live the life you love. Don’t let diabetes impact your life to the extent that you’re coming from fear and can’t have a good life. – p. 1...

How Can We Raise Type 1 Diabetes Awareness?

Here are several ways that you can help raise awareness about type 1 diabetes during Diabetes Awareness Month (November) and on World Diabetes Day (November 14th).

Image: D-Mom Blog

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month in the USA, and annually the International Diabetes Federation proclaims November 14th as World Diabetes Day. This date is chosen because it is the birthday of Fredrick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, discovered insulin in 1922.

In October, we are flooded with...

Open Up Your Bag: A New Picture Book for Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Open Up Your Bag is a new picture book written by Mike Lawson for young children living with type 1 diabetes or who have a family member or friend with diabetes. Zip, zip, zip…

Image: D-Mom Blog

I had a chance to interview Mike, author of Open Up Your Bag, to find out what inspired him to write the book, why the characters are animals, who his hero is, and much more.

What I liked about the book was how cute the concept was and the character design and colors. I would have loved this book when...

Social Media: Support Versus Medical Advice

There is a big difference between receiving support and receiving medical advice from people on social media. Learn why one is okay and one should be avoided.

Image: Pixabay

Please remember that I never give medical advice. Ask your endocrinologist or pediatrician for advice about your own child. Make your own informed decisions for your own child.

You may have noticed that I often include the above disclaimer when I write a new post stating that I am absolutely not giving medical advice and...

Tricks for Treating Your Child with Diabetes on Halloween

Here are some tricks and tips for enjoying Halloween with type 1 diabetes. Learn how to help school parties and trick-or-tricking go more smoothly.

Halloween is probably our family’s favorite holiday. We spend the entire month of October going to various activities, including the pumpkin patch, spooked out zoo, parties, and of course, trick-or-treating. When our daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a young child, we wondered how it would affect our enjoyment of the holiday. I’m su...

A Caregiver’s Journey to Pump Therapy Part 5: Working with your Healthcare Professionals to Prep for an Insulin Pump

In part 5 of the Caregiver’s Journey Series, learn about working with healthcare professionals to prepare for beginning insulin pump therapy.

How is the type 1 diabetes journey – from diagnosis, through starting on multiple daily injections, to beginning on an   insulin pump   and other milestones – viewed and managed from the caregiver perspective? Join me in this 6-part series as I discuss my experiences navigating the diabetes journey as a   parent of a child with type 1 diabetes . 

Once we...

Seeing Her or Seeing Her Diabetes

I don’t want her type 1 diabetes to be the first thing people notice about my daughter. I want them to see her for all the other things she is.

Image: Pixabay

Q is now a freshman in high school (what?!) and we aren’t with her every moment of the day. It’s very routine for us to drop her off for hours of rehearsals or at a friend’s house. We say goodbye and don’t look back. We don’t even monitor her CGM remotely. We trust that she’ll do a good enough job with her own diabetes management. (I d...

JDRF Children’s Congress: 2019 Application Open

This week JDRF opened up the application process for the 2019 Children’s Congress. JDRF 2019 Children’s Congress will take place on July 8-10, 2019, in Washington, D.C.

From the JDRF Children’s Congress website:

“Every two years, more than 150 children living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) gather in Washington, D.C., to meet face-to-face with some of the top decision-makers in the U.S. government. The children, ages 4 to 17, represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The delegates in...

Book Review: Let Me List the Ways

I’m always excited to see a main character in a book who lives with type 1 diabetes. “Let Me List the Ways,” a new young adult (YA) novel written by Sarah White, features a teenage girl with T1D. The book was released on August 7, 2018. Find out if Q also read it.

Read my full review of Let Me List the Ways on Diabetes Daily and purchase the book.

Disclosure: I received an Advance Reader’s Edition for review consideration. I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.

The post...

Type 1 Diabetes and Teacher Training

Here are some ways to prepare for the school year when your child has type 1 diabetes including gathering supplies, creating a two-page instruction sheet, and teacher training.

I remember in the weeks before my daughter Q started kindergarten I was anxious. But sending your child with type 1 diabetes to school is just another instance where parents need to do as much preparation and training as they can to have the confidence to let go on that first morning of school.

I know other parent...