The Sorority

It's funny how I can be thinking about something and then someone else will blog about something very similar....which takes me in a different direction....and I end up with something even more thought out than what I started with.

This is one of those posts...

I'd been thinking about how all of the Blogging D Mommies have really created this totally awesome online family. We've got this amazing support group! Through blogs and Facebook we stay connected, share tips and advice, support one another....all the things that great friends and family do!

And then Meri posted about The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pancreata!  And that got me thinking....

We ARE a sisterhood. We're a sorority!

Alpha Delta Mu - Awesome D Mamas

Ok, so it's not a sorority that we chose to join willingly. The choice was made for us. But...

there are other similarities.

There was initiation. That day in the doctor's office when the pediatrician said, "Your child has diabetes". Our stories of that day are all different. But also very similar. The same fear and panic and sadness - or possibly just feeling numb. We all experienced it.

We all had a hell week of sorts. That week (it was a week for us) in the hospital getting your child stable and learning how to take care of her or him at home. Hell is the only way I could describe that week. Standing helplessly by while your child is poked and stuck and prodded and woke up every hour on the hour to check blood sugar. The overwhelming feeling of having to learn how to take care of your child - something you just took for granted before. Something you better learn to do right. No pressure. Hell. Plain and simple.

There is fun stuff, too!

Philanthropy - JDRF and other organizations that fund diabetes research. We participate in The Walk to Cure Diabetes. We even make t-shirts like the million I still have from EVERY SINGLE event we ever had in college. We wear them with pride.

Date Parties! Our weekly D chats are dates that are always on my calendar. It's so nice to talk to one another about diabetes - and life in general. Everyone is so willing to offer advice, a sympathetic ear, an endless supply of love and understanding!

See? We are like a sorority!

And you know what? I feel more connected to THIS sorority than I ever did my "other" sorority after 4 years of college!

And the Winner is....

Today we attended the JDRF Walk Awards Ceremony! Being new at this, we didn't know what to expect! But, we're up for anything involving JDRF so I thought we'd enjoy ourselves! Sweetpea always enjoys getting a chance to see and meet other children with Type 1!

We had a great time! There was a JDRF item raffle. We got raffle tickets when we arrived and were able to place them in boxes to win differet items. The theme this year was Dr. Seuss - One sneaker, Two Sneaker... So The Cat in the Hat was there along with Thing One and Thing Two! (Sweets was afraid of them!) There were treats and a popcorn machine - of which Sweetpea was a big fan!

But the best part was the awards ceremony!

I really thought that maybe we'd be recognized for walking and that would be it. Boy- was I wrong!

It started with the director asking all the Type 1 kids to raise their hands. Sweetpea was sitting on my lap in the back of the theater and her little hand shot right up! The director invited all the T1 kids down to stand on the stage.

I wasn't sure how Sweetpea would do with this! But she wanted to go down and went right up on the stage without me! She was definitely the littlest one there - and probably the youngest, too. She looked so cute standing there on the stage!

She was asked to help hand out one of the awards to the corporate sponsers! She did a great job!

Then they started handing out awards to the walk teams.

Our Team won the "Platinum Award for Top New Team"! Yipee!!! Sweetpea got a trophy for this! They even made her trophy purple to go with our purple walk shirts! She was soooooo excited! She has hardly put it down since!

Sweetpea also won a Golden Sneaker award for raising over $1,000 as an individual! She wasn't finished yet, though! Avery's Erasers won a special "JDRF Circle of Excellence Pin" for raising over $10,000. And.... Sweetpea won a special award for being "Rookie of the Year"!

We were just floored! We certainly did not expect this at all! Sweetpea was thrilled! She loved getting an award and being up on stage!

(On a side note, when our team won the Top New Team Award, the director asked me to say something. And she says, "Well, We can see what your inspiration was!" Oh geez. I did not expect this at all! So I started talking and only managed to get a sentence out before I started crying! What a goober! I felt like a big dork! But I pulled it together at the end, at least! Ugh! Darn emotions getting the better of me!)

It was a wonderful day! We are so thankful to all the people at our  JDRF chaper for organizing the walk and putting on such a super event that made my little diabetic feel so special! What a priceless gift! That is better than any trophy!

I also have to say a big THANK YOU again to everyone who walked with us and donated to our team! This would not have possible with you and your support! Our current total raised is somewhere over $13,000 - and we're expecting more with corporate matching! We are flabergasted at the generosity we have been shown. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Our JDRF Walk is proud to have raised over $330,000 to help JDRF find a cure for diabetes!

My heart is smiling today! Thank you!