Im not a huge fan of Mothers Day. Mind you: my kids are wonderful about it, and so is my husband. I just kind of want to live a life in which we all almost always appreciate one another, and remind one another of it. That said, I have someone or rather something special to thank this Mothers Day:

Say what?

Yes, you heard me right. Because while I did not know it when diabetes barreled into my daughters life nearly 20 years ago, it was the best worst thing that ever happened to me as a mother.

Diabetes has brought much grief, but I can say without hesitation that it has made me better in many ways. Its forced me to be strong and diligent, and given me skills and insights I didnt necessarily want, but that made me grow for the better. Part of who I am as a mother is thanks to diabetes.

And so, for Mothers Day this year, Im going to thank diabetes for a few things, like:

It takes guts to be a good mom. The easy way out for all parents, I think, is to let fear rule you. Diabetes pushed me to let go of fear, like the summer my daughter was six not yet even reading, and I dropped her off for two weeks at diabetes camp. I joke that I hid behind a tree for hours, popping out and yelling are you low??!! every few minutes that first day (not really but I did hang around for hours). Leaving her in the care of others, with barely any contact at all, took guts. And it taught me: she can be fine without me. I carried that courage over to the rest of my parenting life, not just with her, but with my daughter without diabetes

Nothing is more valuable than understanding what is a big deal and what isnt.

Things I used to sweat suddenly balanced out as not as big a deal. My kid didnt get the role she wanted in the middle school play? Hey, were all healthy and she can be perfectly happy in the chorus. Miss a birthday party because of a sickness? Life picks up and goes on the next day. Because diabetes is a never-ending practice of making the best of things (high? Well just fix it. Low? Weve got glucose tabs for that!), I learned as a mom to adopt that perspective in all my parenting moments (Okay most of them. I am a mere human). Over the years, things like getting (perhaps unfairly) cut from the soccer team became, instead of a world crisis, a paused, readjustment and chance to move forward.

Diabetes also taught me to reposition my own perspective. Its easy as a diabetes mom to feel sorry for yourself, to want to sink into the grief, anxiety and sometimes overwhelming duties attached to it all. But I learned early from teens and adults with diabetes themselves to change that view. Diabetes is not mine it is my childs. I dont live with it 24/7, she does. And until theres a cure, she always will. I had to learn that while my child is my heart, she is her own person and I am mine. I was not going to feel sorry for myself and not going to teach my daughter to feel sorry for herself.

Living with a chronic disease in your family opens your mind and heart to others who do as well. It also opens you to the realization that everyone even folks who dont have something like diabetes on boardsometimes are sad, hurt, scared, or overwhelmed by life. Sometimes, all someone needs is for you to let them know you know that.

Diabetes helped me see that. In the early years, someone who simply cared and let me know they felt empathy was like a balm to my wound. As I grew stronger, I realized as a mom knowing when to offer that balm to my own kids and my friends was a wonderful skill to have.

Diabetes helped me find my voice. Ive told my story make that my daughters story (perspective!) to senators, congressmen, even presidents. Ive stood on stages before thousands of people and movitated them to give money to JDRF and to do raise funds themselves. Ive ridden a bike 100 miles in one day through a desert, through three states, through a wind tunnel of marshes in northern Florida things I never thought Id have the power to do. Diabetes has pushed me to push my limits, to become more confident, to work harder, and to never give up. Thats a gift that serves me as a mother and as a human being. Diabetes helped me know I am stronger than I thought I was.

Diabetes has shown me how both my children the one with diabetes and the one without it can thrive in life despite it. It has introduced me to incredible friends. It has connected me to a world of true heroes. It has taken me places and taught me things I could never have learned without it.

So this Mothers Day, I thank diabetes for making me the mother I am today. Ill keep on working to banish diabetes from this earth, but until then, Ill continue to learn from it and soak up the very good from the very bad.

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5 Ways Diabetes Made Me A Better Mother - A Sweet Life (blog)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)- Doctors call it a silent killer and in Middle Tennessee, its affecting one ethnic group at an alarming rate.

Diabetes is on the rise in the hispanic community and one local doctor is educating patients and helping them control this potentially deadly disease.

Sergio Mezo is just happy he got help when he did.

My life has changed a lot in the last year my feet use to hurt a lot, they use to be numb, now my feet are better. I used to be very, very tired. I wanted to sleep a lot while I was working, said Mezo.

Mezo was diagnosed with Type One diabetes at 23 and over the last eight years hes had a hard time making appointments with his primary care physician.

I was very sick, waiting in another clinic to be seen and they didnt have any openings, said Mezo.

Since he started seeing nurse practitionerLuisa Leal, his diabetes is now under control.

Its a silent killer. Diabetes falls under the same category as high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol, those are the silent killers, said Leal.

Mezo is not alone. There is a growing number of Hispanics in Nashville being diagnosed with diabetes.

Mirta Rodriquez, 75, found out she had diabetes 22 years ago and during one visit, her blood sugar levels were through the roof.

It should be between 100 and 160 for her, but the patient had hot coco today, and hot coco has a lot of sugar, said Leal.

Leal says many Hispanics live with the disease and dont know they have it.

The average undiagnosed is usually between five years and ten years, said Leal.

So this nurse practitioner is educating her patients.

Its going to be very difficult to solve in one day, but prevention is the key and educating the patient, educating the community.

Leal said Hispanics from Central America and the Caribbean see some of the highest number of diabetes cases, mainly because when they move here to the states, they adopted the American way of living and eating.

A passive lifestyle with poor eating habits and now the obesity, added Leal.

For every one Hispanic Leal helps, she says there are many others who go untreated.

They just want to be working the 7-days during the week, and making money so they take care of their family; their last priority is taking care of themselves, said Leal.

Diabetes is a hereditary disease and the CDC estimates 40 percent of all Americans could develop Type Two diabetes while that number jumps to 50 percent for Hispanics.

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Diabetes affecting Middle Tennessee Hispanics at alarming rate - WKRN.com

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At this years Miss USA Pageant, it wont just be Miss Michigan USA Krista Fergusons first time competing on the Miss USA stageit will also be the first time a contestant has visibly worn a glucose monitor for type 1 diabetes during competition. Fergusons monitor, a patch called Dexcom, will be visible on her arm all night long as she vies for the title.

But when Ferguson, 24, first won Miss Michigan USA, she wasnt sure if shed wear her monitor somewhere visible or not. (She can wear the patch on her arm, thigh, or stomach, or even take it off for a few hours if she feels confident about her blood sugar levels.) Recently, she did a Snapchat takeover on the Miss USA account and documented how she checks her blood sugar each day. I had a lot of people messaging me if I would be wearing [my monitor] on stage, Ferguson tells Glamour. I thought, I dont want to make anybody feel pity for me, but this is my platform. I have accepted it and learned that I can make a difference and have an impact on young women and men. And that made the decision easy: If I were to take it off its almost a little bit hypocritical. Why would I hide something like that? Im keeping it onwith pride.

Ferguson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2015, at age 22, a late diagnosis for this type, which is often identified in late childhood or early adolescence. I actually went to the hospital for something completely differenta ruptured ovarian cystbut they took my blood sugar and found out it was 400, Ferguson explains, a very high reading. At first, I was in shock. [My diabetes] had been untreated for so longI could have gone into a diabetic coma. Then, she says, she realized that years of unexplained symptomsextreme thirst (I was drinking 15-16 water bottles per day), an overactive bladder, tingling in her toes, blurry vision, exhaustioncould be attributed to her diabetes. Even though it was a relief that these symptoms could now be managed with insulin injections, she still says she struggled to come to terms with her diagnosis. When I got diagnosed, a part of me didnt want to compete in pageants anymore, says Ferguson, who first vied for the title of Miss Michigan in 2014, before her diagnosis. I thought: Im never going to win. Theyre going to see me and think shes sick. So she took a year off. During that time, she says, I eventually told myself: Im going to have diabetes, but my circumstance and my illness do not define me. I pushed myself. I reminded myself: I want this. She returned to the competition in 2016, finishing as first runner up, which only fueled her resolve to win. She returned in 2017 and took the title. I really understand my disease now, so type 1 diabetes was my platform. Im very positive about it, explains Ferguson, who works with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) as her chosen philanthropy, an organization working to end juvenile diabetes.

These days, Ferguson says she lives a pretty regular life. Shes made a few minor dietary changesI still have dessert, but things with protein like milkshakes and cheesecake work better for my body always aims to hit her 10,000 steps since staying active helps her body regulate her blood sugar, and checks her blood sugar levels regularly on her phone via an app that syncs up to her Dexcom monitor. When she takes the stage Sunday night, she hopes young people everywhere living with type 1 diabetes feel empowered by seeing her wearing her Dexcom. Whether I win or lose, if those kids can see that pageant girls can have diabetes and still competethat is winning.

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Why This Miss USA Contestant Is Proudly Wearing Her Type 1 Diabetes Glucose Monitor During the Competition - Glamour

This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

The World Health Organisation estimates that the number of people with diabetes is422m, globally. And between 1980 and 2014 the number of people with the condition almost doubled. Despite the high prevalence of the disease, it is often misunderstood. Here are some common misconceptions about diabetes.

New research suggests Type 2 diabetes may be caused by high levels of toxins released by staph bacteria. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

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1. Diabetes is Purely a Disorder of the Pancreas

Diabetes doesaffect the pancreas, but it shouldnt just be thought of as an illness that affects the body from the neck down. If we take this viewpoint we miss the psychological impact of living with this condition. And its a big one. As well as the issue of adjusting to the diagnosis of a long-term health condition, people with diabetes aremore likely to develop depression. There is even a specific form of depression associated with diabetes known asdiabetes distress. Its when a person is struggling to cope with managing their condition.

Having diabetes affects your mental abilities too. Research suggests that diabetes can affect your ability tothink clearly, focus and recall memories.

Diabetes also affects other brain processes, such as how we weigh up food choices. Researchers are also investigating how hormones, such as insulin,seem to regulate food choices. These particular brain effects, within a system called the midbrain dopamine system, offer one potential explanation for why some diabetics find it difficult to follow health advice, no matter how often they are given it.

2. Only Overweight or Obese People Get Diabetes

There is a strong association between type 2 diabetes and obesity, but that doesnt mean that everyone who is diabetic is overweight or obese. Nor does it mean that everyone who is overweight or obese will develop diabetes.

However, a Public Health Englandreportsaid that obese adults in England were five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than adults of a normal weight. But there is still a lot of work to be done to fully understand thelink between diabetes and obesity. This includes understanding the biological mechanisms that might link the two.

Type 1 diabetes isnt associated with obesity. It is considered to be an autoimmune disorder which means that the bodys own immune system attacks the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Its a very successful attack; a type 1 diabetic is no longer able to produce insulin. There is some evidence thattype 1 diabetes is genetic, yet not everyone in possession of the diabetes risk genes will develop diabetes. There is also some evidence thattype 1 diabetes might be caused by a virus.

3. You Need to Inject Insulin Regularly

Type 1 diabetics do require insulin therapy, but this can be delivered using insulin pumps. These devices reduce the need to inject insulin regularly. The insulin is still delivered via a needle, which is attached to a piece of tubing and then to the pump, and there are several advantages to this method. One is that it is more discrete and the diabeticavoids the social stigmaassociated withinjecting in public. The second is that it reduces the need tofind different injection sites.

There are a range of treatment options for type 2 diabetes, and for gestational diabetes (which develops during pregnancy). These types of diabetes may be treated by lifestyle changes or, in the early stages, might be successfully managed by pills, such as metformin. As diabetics age, or as a pregnancy progresses, there may be a need for insulin or a combination of pills. Those diabetics who are struggling to manage their condition might also be offered a drug such as bromocriptine, which targets areas of the brain that help toregulate the bodys metabolism.

4. Diabetes is Easy to Manage

There is some evidence that alow-calorie dietmay return fasting blood glucose levels to normal in type 2 diabetics, which has led to suggestions that this may be a cure. But theres no evidence that this is permanent and most doctors agree that diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes) is for life.

The serious long-term complications of diabetes arelimb amputation, loss of sight and cardiovascular disease. This is why routine screening is in place to monitor these aspects of diabetic health. In short, some diabetes complications can kill.

Diabetes is a hidden disease and for many people it certainly isnt easy to manage. Being given healthy living advice and education is not enough to help everyone, and many fail tomanage their condition(although some manage successfully until their illness progresses and everything changes). Blood sugar levels areaffected bynutrition, activity, sleep cycles illness, and stress and other hormone effects. So the signs and symptoms of diabetes are rarely stable.

For most people, diabetes is for life. It is a serious condition that can feel unpredictable and overwhelming, at times. Many people with diabetes report experiencing the stigma surrounding the condition. Some diabetics even have their own misunderstandings and preconceptions. It is therefore vital to raise awareness of the reality of living with diabetes to help improve the experience of it.

Claire Rostron is a Senior Lecturer at The Open University.

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Debunking Major Myths About Diabetes - Newsweek

May 13, 2017 12:50 PM By RachelSlavik

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) A University of St. Thomas freshman is not waiting for her college degree to pave her own career path.

Meghan Sharkus launched her medical adhesive company called ExpressionMed last year.

The 19 year old came up with the idea after seeing the impact that diabetes has had on close friends.

Having choice in an area where you dont feel like you have a lot of choice is really important, Sharkus said.

The product is designed to keep wearable medical devices, like insulin or glucose monitors, attached to the body.

Meghan Sharkus (credit: CBS)

Theyre tapes that go over wearable medical devices to hold them in place, Sharkus said.

When developing her product, Sharkus wanted to incorporate a fun look with unique shapes. The large stickers take the shape of footballs, soccer balls, hearts and animals and she has more patterns in the works.

When its something you have to wear every day, for years and years and years, you want to mix it up, she said. When you pick out clothes, you can pick out your device design.

Along with the design, she also wanted to address a common problem for patients who struggled to keep the device in place.

Sixty percent of people who stop using these devices do so because the tape doesnt stay on, Sharkus said.

(credit: CBS)

She worked with a local, major adhesive manufacturer to create the product. Sharkus holds a design and utility patent for a product that can stay on for weeks through water or any outdoor activities.

It stays on nice. You can scratch at it and move it and its not going to come up. And when you remove it, it comes up and no problems, Sharkus said. This adhesive is high quality. Its a super-thin adhesive that moves with you.

Six months since her product first hit the market, Sharkus is already looking to grow to meet demand, setting her down a career path years before graduation

The reaction to this line of products have been crazy, she said. Starting this now instead of five years from now is going to help a whole generation of kids that are living with this.

Click here to learn more about the product, or to help Sharkus continue to grow her business.

Rachel Slavik joined the WCCO team in October of 2010 and is thrilled to be back in her hometown. Rachel spent three years in the sweltering heat of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She anchored, produced, and reported at WVLA. During her time in the Deep...

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Teen Creates Fashionable, Durable Diabetes Tape WCCO | CBS ... - CBS Minnesota / WCCO

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A top White House official tried to defend the American Health Care Act (AHCA) the GOPs response to Obamacareearlier this week by implying that health care systems shouldnt help someone who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes.

According to the Washington Examiner, Mick Mulvaney of the Office of Management and Budget delivered the line on Thursday while speaking to the LIGHT Forum at Stanford University. Mulvaney was asked whether he agreed with the Jimmy Kimmel testor the idea famously forwarded by the late-night show host that No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their childs life. Kimmel made the quip while delivering an impassioned account of his newborn sons struggle to survive a congenital heart disease.

Mulvaney said he agreed with the idea in principle, but with one a very specific caveat: taxpayers shouldnt help people who fall ill because of, ostensibly, their own actions.

That doesnt mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes, Mulvaney said. Is that the same thing as Jimmy Kimmels kid? I dont think that it is.

Mulvaney was attempting to defend the AHCA, which was narrowly approved by House of Representatives this month without a single Democratic vote. In its current form, the bill would essentially allow insurance companies to price people with pre-existing conditions out of the health insurance marketplace. Meanwhile, so-called Trumpcare includes a $880 billion cut to Medicaid, which stands to result in roughly 24 million Americans losing their health insurance because of premium increases.

Mulvaneys statement was widely panned by progressives as compassionless, but diabetes advocates also noted that it is also inaccurate: The American Diabetes Association was quick to condemn Mulvaneys remarks, saying they are extremely disappointed and describing his statement as misinformed.

Mr. Mulvaneys comments perpetuate the stigma that one chooses to have diabetes based on his/her lifestyle, the statement read. We are also deeply troubled by his assertion that access to health care should be rationed or denied to anyone. All of the scientific evidence indicates that diabetes develops from a diverse set of risk factors, genetics being a primary cause. People with diabetes need access to affordable health care in order to effectively manage their disease and prevent dangerous and costly complications. Nobody should be denied coverage or charged more based on their health status.

Indeed, poor diet and lack of exercise does not appear to have been the cause of diabetes for professional athletes who suffer from the disease, such U.S. soccer star Jordan Morris.

Whats more, Huffington Post health care reporter Jonathan Cohn pointed out that health care systems that attempt to segregate patients by medical condition (or, presumably, how they acquired their condition) often hurt all people with illnesses, because the practice almost inevitably leads to shabby care for the sick, regardless of how they got that way.

Roughly two-thirds of the states operated [condition-segregated health care systems] before the Affordable Care Act took effect, and they inevitably offered coverage that was less affordable, less available or less comprehensive than standard policies, he said.

The idea that the needy somehow contributed to their own plightand that more privileged Americans shouldnt be required to care for themis an old conservative argument traditionally applied to economics. In 2013, Republican and then-congressman Stephen Fincher attempted to justify cutting food stamps by misquoting a Biblical verse, declaring Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) repeated the exact same verse earlier this year to justify increasing the work requirements for unemployed adults on the food stamp program.

Now the same idea is reemergingoften with religious undertonesas a way to cut ostensibly underserving sick people out of health care systems. In March, Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS) argued against Medicaid expansion by arguing that society will always have sick people.

Just like Jesus said, The poor will always be with us, Marshall told Stat News in March, citing scripture in a way that arguably belies its original intent. There is a group of people that just dont want health care and arent going to take care of themselves.

Just, like, homeless people. I think just morally, spiritually, socially, [some people] just dont want health care, he added. The Medicaid population, which is [on] a free credit card, as a group, do probably the least preventive medicine and taking care of themselves and eating healthy and exercising. And Im not judging, Im just saying socially thats where they are. So theres a group of people that even with unlimited access to health care are only going to use the emergency room when their arm is chopped off or when their pneumonia is so bad they get brought [into] the ER.

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Top Trump official says we shouldn't take care of someone who 'eats poorly and gets diabetes' - ThinkProgress

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) - More than a thousand people walked a course around New Bo Market Saturday in an effort to end type 1 diabetes.

The Eastern Iowa chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation held its 19th annual One Walk in front of the New Bo Market Saturday morning. The weather helped boost the turnout for some food, music and festivities that accompanied the walk. Sponsors provided some free snacks and games for kids as teams met in a tailgate format ahead of the walk.

Teams competed to raise money to talk part in the walk. All the money raised goes to JDRF to fund research into treatment and finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes can hit children or adults at any age and, unlike type 2 diabetes, is not preventable. It causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin, a hormone that helps breakdown food into energy. People with type one must constantly monitor blood sugar levels and manage it with insulin injections and diet restrictions. More tha 1.25 million Americans are living with type 1 diabetes, 200,000 of them less than 20 years old. 40,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. every year.

Warning signs of T1D may occur suddenly and can include:

Extreme thirst Frequent urination Drowsiness or lethargy Increased appetite Sudden weight loss Sudden vision changes Sugar in the urine Fruity odor on the breath Heavy or labored breathing Stupor or unconsciousness

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Hundreds walk against diabetes - KCRG

Science Daily

Novel tissue-engineered islet transplant achieves insulin independence in type 1 diabetes Science Daily Scientists from the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have produced the first clinical results demonstrating that pancreatic islet cells transplanted within a tissue-engineered platform can ...

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Novel tissue-engineered islet transplant achieves insulin independence in type 1 diabetes - Science Daily