Thursday, April 24, 2008

Silver Linings

You can drive yourself mad focusing on the negative aspects of this disease. Sometimes you just have to stop and look for the positives.

Silver linings (in a purely random order):

  • Sáin is amazingly aware of EVERYTHING she eats
  • Sáin can speak very well in front of large crowds
  • We don’t have the portion control problem many people have. All our food has to be portion controlled
  • No one in our family is afraid of needles. As a matter of fact, we have to do a sweep through the house before anyone comes over because we’re a little too comfortable with sharps and leave them lying around.
  • I’ve learned the plunger from a syringe works really well if someone accidently locks the bathroom door
  • We’ve met the most amazing people through JDRF
  • I understand RF technology a lot better now that Sáin has the pump. This comes in handy working where I do.
  • We probably would never have met all the politicians, celebrities and researchers if Sáin didn’t have diabetes
  • Sáin and Aidan are learning at a young age how to fight for a cause
  • If it weren’t for diabetes I would never have known the pure joy in receiving a donation from a complete stranger
  • Both kids can count by 15s (carb exchanges are counted by 15)
  • Midnight blood sugar tests give me an excuse to stay up to watch The Hour every night (and really, is there a better way to end the day than hanging out with George Stroumboulopoulos? Okay – George after a hockey game is slightly better.)
  • The looks I got taking sharps boxes into the downtown needle exchange were priceless and I never would’ve gotten to do that before Sáin was diagnosed.

I’m sure there are many more positives but that’s just a few.

I promised Sáin a message in French so this is to her:

Je vous aime ma belle fille et je suis très fier de tout vous faites.

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