Everyone has something to share...

Today as we roamed the aisles of Target looking for the new Jonas Brothers Album.. the one where Nick Jonas sings a song about his diabetes called "A little bit longer" ... (which I just found out has not been released yet except on YouTube)... My son asked the clerk if she had it. She asked how such a little boy knew so certainly of a specific song from a specific artist. Well.. He said "Nick has diabetes and he sings about it, and only him and me, and other diabetics know what it is like to feel so low, and so I want to get his song so we can listen to it and support him, he is really famous you know.. like 100% famous and still gives back some of all that money famous people make to find a cure for diabetes and other charities.. he is famous and still cool, and has diabetes!" (Yes, all that from a little boy who is 5 3/4). She was shocked.. and said she did not know that about him, but wanted to share a bit of info about the store she worked at.. that there were 3 diabetics that worked there... and she was one of them! He was thrilled... As I have mentioned in previous posts, that there are not many 'known' diabetics in our circles of schools or parks that we have noticed. So anytime anyone he meets has diabetes that is older than him, he feels pretty special to share something with them, and get a little bit of information and advice and tricks from them.

This time, he pulled out his pod and PDM (meter/remote pump) and said he wears the same one as Nick Jonas. She had never seen it before... he did a poke and showed her how it worked. Like a lot of diabetics (And she was diagnosed when she was 8 and was likely in her 20's now) still had chosen not to be ona pump for the simple reason that having the hose dangling from her was too much for her to handle. She wanted as much freedom as a diabetic could feel. My son explained to her that he feels free, he can now eat when he wants to, and can swim and play with it, and he loves it. I think he felt pretty special to be able to share his knowledge (which is limited at his age and after only one year of diabetes) with someone who really found it helpful.

This afternoon he became that mentor that he always looks for in others, and I am so proud of him.

June 20th is the one year anniversary of his diagnosis.. some celebrate it, I personally think we need to commend the person for all they have learned, challenged and dealt with over the year. It is a time to celebrate the success of love for oneself, and all they have endured and overcome. So will we 'celebrate' this every year? Well I will leave that up to my son, he is the one who is really the rock star here. I can sleep less, worry and treat all I want to (or feel I must) and still it is not me in the sweat in the bed in the middle of the night, or the one who feels the highs and lows like he does.

Nick Jonas is right... " You don't know what it's like to feel so low. But when you smile, you laugh, you shine, you glow... you don't even know". I have attached a YouTube link for those who want a teary moment and listen to this song titled "A little bit longer" Slated to be released (As I just found out moments ago... to be released this Summer 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OvC-QaatH0