On Tuesday, November 1st I found out that one of my 4th grade students was flown to Portland from my little town of Grants Pass because he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. My heart sank and I couldn't stop having bouts of tears throughout the day. A lot of his classmates were asking if I knew why he was missing from school. I explained to them that my student will be okay. I was blown away by my students' compassion for their classmate. They were generally concerned and have missed him dearly all week. We took time from the school day to write letters and make cards. With the diagnosis, my student's life will never be the same.
On November 14th, I will be cohosting a fundraiser at CrossFit GP and we will be taking donations for my student. I threw this together on Wednesday. There are still some details to figure out. I couldn't thank The owner of CrossFit GP, Matthew Swanson for opening his doors to me and supporting my student.
I have also some great support for my student from the Type 1 Diabetic Athletes Group on Facebook. Some members of the group are writing him letters and have already sent emails for me to share with him. The support is fantastic and I couldn't be more amazed by the selflessness.
When I think back to my diagnosis, I realize how far things have come with how my disease is cared for now. In 1991, I would get a shot and hope things worked out with my carbs to insulin ratio, activity level and my general well being. I was not the best diabetic way back then. My hope is that my student is able to learn how to care for himself so he can eventually be able to do whatever he dreams of.
