A New Direction

Many years ago, I helped start a support group for parents who had kids with diabetes. My son was very young when he was diagnosed back then, just 3 years old. We had a one year old daughter and were still in that new parent mode. After the diagnosis we realized the lifestyle we had to lead was going to be very overwhelming. It was. Gathering as much information as possible, at that time, seemed to be the best coping mechanism I could find. The Internet was a source of both information and comfort. The more I learned about Diabetes the more in control I began to feel. Each piece of information became part of the arsenal I would use to in this "war" against this disease.
When I started the support group I thought the more information I can share with, and learn from others would help me win my battle. But it wasn't like that. People get tired of war. I got tired of fighting. After 8 years my spirit was not as strong and I began to compromise. If I can't win, maybe there's a way we can just peacefully live with this. I began to look at the newly diagnosed families with a smug air of maturity. They are so young and naive. After a few years they too will see that this is a battle you cannot win. This made running a support group very hard for me. There was this constant internal battle between that idealist "Conquer the Disease" rally call and that "day to day living" acceptance of fate. So the support group fell apart. And this website was ignored.
There is a big misconception out there that if you have a disease you need a support group. I don't agree. I think you just need support. Where ever you may find it. I had forgotten that I once found mine here. That's why I decided to come back. So the new direction of this website is support. Whenever I find anything that may be helpful to parents dealing with diabetes I will post that here, to help pass it along. But I will also post anything that I need to share to help me get through the day to day stuff. Things I need to talk about, but can't with someone who doesn't understand. Some days I need support. Some days I just need someone to listen.