Lilies and Peace

I have this peace lily. I've had it for nearly 20 years, in all that time, it's never bloomed. Until this year. It has a white flower on it now. I'm hoping that's a good omen.

Grid.org

Let your computer help to do research into Cancer and other diseases when you're not using it. For more info go to All about Grid . Right now we're involved in protein folding to help cure cancer and other diseases. If you're interested in helping out by using your computer's free time (the program only runs when your computer is idle) click on the download link. It's a good project and I have two of my computers running the program now. If you'd like to join a team, you can go to Find Teams and search for Insulin Pumpers. Join our team. It's a very good cause and maybe one day, we can make a difference.

Diabetes and Me

You may be wondering about all my links on the left. I have had Type 1 diabetes for 42 years next month. That's most of my life. I was diagnosed when I was 11 years old around the 4th of July. I remember that day. It changed my life forever.

42 years is a long time to live with diabetes (not so fondly called diabeasties sometimes). I'm very lucky that I do not have any serious complications. So far, I'm reasonably healthy and hope to stay that way for many more years.

Diabetes does not rule my life. It never has. I rarely mention it. It's just a part of my life, an important part at times, but not the only part. When I was younger, no one ever told me I couldn't do something because I had diabetes. All in all, my life has been good. I can't complain. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter, both of whom I love with all my heart. Forever and ever...always.

For the last 5 years I've been using an insulin pump. First a Disetronic H-Tron+ and now an Animas IR1200. The pump literally saved my life. It gave me my freedom back. The freedom to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and also the freedom to NOT eat. This may not sound like much to someone without diabetes, but it was always so hard sometimes living by the clock: 7am - Breakfast; Noon - Lunch; 5pm - Dinner and all the necessary snacks in between. It's a wonder we don't all have eating disorders since our whole lives revolve around food and the correct time to eat it. The pump has saved me from all of that.

I found a lot of support from a great group of people I met online at Insulin Pumpers. Insulin Pumpers is a mail list that has over 4,000 members. It's a great place to go when you're searching for information on diabetes and insulin pumps. We share our experiences and try to help each other through the rough spots. They are a non-profit organization that depends on donations to cover operating costs. If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation, please feel free to click the link on the left. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated. Or, just drop by for a visit by either clicking the first link on the left or the link above in my narrative.