Ok, so the Cake Eater sister, Christi, sent me a bunch of photos from Omaha's Walk to Cure Diabetes over a week ago. She asked me to post them, along with a message of profound and undying thanks to all who donated and who helped out by linking to our cause, because she didn't have the time to do so.

Now you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, may be wondering why she had time to hijack the blog for a week, but did not have time to post her own thanks. Well, let me tell you, I don't know how she managed the time to post in the first place, let alone find the time to fulfill my idiotic request to make videos to make the fundraising "more interesting." Here's a quick rundown of all that she's got going on right now: she's a bridal designer and had to rework a dress for a Labor Day weekend wedding whilst simultaneously preparing for her day job as a teacher's aide. And she's got three kids, who need to be fed and looked after, of course. Not to mention, my brother and his family are in the process of moving back to Omaha and she's been helping them out with the adjustment, as well as helping my mother out with my father's (temporary, Thank God) transition to a vegan (yes, I know.) diet. She's a busy chick. Don't quite know how she manages to get it all done, but, somehow, she does. I really seem quite lame in comparison and my excuse of having a whopping case of chemo brain (and low hemoglobin, too, which really doesn't help with the attention-span problems) doesn't really seem to cut it. She's just one of those people, eh? If she had to go through chemo (which I hope she never does) she wouldn't be one to slack at all. I'm sure of it. She's the good kid. I'm the bad seed. Well, I'm not entirely bad, but I'm not her, that's for sure.

That said, I would indeed like to pass along our most heartfelt thanks to all who donated and to our blogger friends, who not only linked to our little project, but who also put in a lot of time and effort to make cakes as incentives. You are all awesome people. Thanks to you, we are *that* much closer to finding a cure, so James can snarf all the Snickers he wants, whenever he wants. Thank you, oh, so much.

And, now, the pictures!

The man goof of the hour---James!

All of the really cool people who got up at the crack of dawn on a really hot and humid August Saturday morning to walk three miles to cure diabetes. These people rock. I wish I could have been there. Really I do.

And this is the Krist family, of which James is but one member. Christi and James should be recognizable by now, but you may not know Jeff, the patriarch of this here clan; Colin, my Godbaby and recent convert to the cult of the long haired hippie children; and Maggie, the girliest girl this side of the Mississippi River (and the orneriest, too.). It, apparently, wouldn't be a complete walk experience without a family picture in front of a giant inflatable coke bottle, now would it?

Thanks again, my devoted Cake Eater readers. We couldn't have gotten this far without you!

Posted by: Kathy at 10:54 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 584 words, total size 4 kb.

Ok, my devoted Cake Eater readers. Here's an offer you can't possibly refuse.

For every $50 (or more, and we loves it when people contribute more) that is donated to James' Walk to Cure Diabetes effort, Chrissy---marvelous, marvelous, baker extraordinaire Chrissy---will send you one genuine Fiesty Gooey cake, made with her two highly skilled, filled-with-the-spirit-of-Betty-Crocker hands.

How you could possibly refuse that offer, well, I don't know.

C'mon kids. Don't make me pull out the guilt sledge. Throw me a bone here, will ya? I know you're a generous lot. Go and donate what you can and make me proud.

Or the Hebrew Hammer's Mother is going to have nothin' on me when I'm done with you lot.

If you would prefer to avoid that scenario, let me just remind you that you have an out. You can donate $50 (or more. Have I mentioned we really likes the more?) and receive a fresh, homemade cake (CAKE!!!! Cake that Marie Antoinette would gobble up if she had the chance, with very few crumbs left over to slip down into her lifted-and-separated-courtesy-of-a-corset-cleavage.) for your efforts.

I think you know which option will allow you to sleep like a baby at night, eh?

UPDATE: Have I mentioned that any donation made to JDRF is tax deductible? I haven't? Well, it is. You can get a cake and a write-off. What's not to love with that scenario, I ask you, my tax-hating, devoted Cake Eater readers.

UPDATE DEUX: Let me correct that: you can get a tax write-off, a cake and avoid the guilt trip from hell. Again, I ask you, what's not to love with that scenario?

Posted by: Kathy at 09:08 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Wow! I finally got this blessed video saved. It took some finagling (how do you spell that word?).

anyway, the following clip is of James and his friends. Kids are really great when it comes to questions. Everyone in the film has known James since the beginning of his illness. Diabetes has been explained to them many times, but they all still have some unanswered questions. So, watch and maybe learn a little something.

If you want to learn more (and maybe more scientific answers) go to the JDRF website

This will be our last post for the hijacking. Thank you all for your patronage, your donations, and your comments. We have had some fun doing this. We hope we have inspired some people out there to get involved. There are so many worthy causes to donate to. We don't really like hitting people up for money. But we know that people donate all the time. If James' story is one that inspires you, we would really appreciate your donation to JDRF.

thank you, Christi and James
to donate

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 10:49 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Anyone who knows anyone with Diabetes knows what a pain it is to manage. How all consuming it is. There have been great strides in technology. Imagine not having an accurate way of knowing your blood sugar level. Imagine having to pee on a strip of paper to know whether you are in control. That used to be the standard of care until all the new portable blood glucose meters were invented.

Now imagine how frustrated you are when you are doing everything the doctors tell you. You eat within the rules, you test frequently, you eat at the same time every day, you follow your scale for insulin shots, and your blood sugars are still out of whack! That is the exact frustration most Diabetics face. Especially small children. Their bodies are changing so rapidly, that it doesn't matter how you follow the rules, you can't get "in control". For no reason at all they can be in the 400's for blood sugars. Then 30 minutes later, they will be 50.

So, then the insulin pump is invented. What progress! Now, instead of multiple insulin shots a day (that have delayed action - and you never quite know when), you can have a vial of insulin attached to you and slowly releasing insulin into your system all day long. At meal times all you have to do is press a few buttons and your "bolus" of insulin is delivered painlessly into your body.

You may think, "Wow, why wouldn't you want to be on a pump?" Well, imagine being hooked up to this medical device 24 hours a day. It's like being on an oxygen pump, but it is hooked to your waist. You have tubes that you have to conceal and if you are a kid, you may need to wear a fanny pack like case all day and all night long. If you go swimming, you need to remove your medical device, and then at the same time go without your insulin. Try sleeping with tubing coming out of your abdomen and you might get tangled up at the night.

Then, let's talk about the cost. You might think since you are not going through all those needles and you need less types of insulin, you might save money. Alas, that is not so. You still have plenty of supplies that you need to keep in stock. Every three days, you need to re-insert your "cannula" with an infusion set that delivers the insulin into your body. These aren't cheap. And we are not even going to talk about the cost of the pump itself. And then on top of that, you still need to keep syringes around just in case the pump malfunctions or if you are off the pump a lot.

Generally speaking you have to jump through hoops to get your insurance company to cover the pump. That's a ton of fun. Then, try to decide what type of pump is good for you. Personally, they all turn me off. Who wants this clunky beeper looking thing with all this tubing attached to you, just so you can eat when you want to? Just so I can leave my kid with other people who aren't trained to take care of him at meals. My son's numbers aren't all that bad. I can understand if you are always at great risk, but James is not. I asked some parents of kids with pumps how their children's blood sugar numbers were. They hesitated and told me that their averages still weren't that great. Again, the pump is supposed to be so much better for a Diabetic's health, but I just don't think that is necessarily true for kids. They also said to get your kid on the pump before they were old enough to object. Soooooooooooo, is the pump for the kid or for the parent? If I'm taking the hit for this invention, it had better be to get my kid's numbers in the optimum range at least 75% of the time.

So, the pumps that have been out there have not really sparked my interest. But, now, there is one that has me interested. It is the Omnipod. It is small. It can be hidden. It is controlled by a remote device which is also your meter. It doesn't have tubing. It doesn't have a separate infusion set. It is waterproof. It doesn't require a ton of extra supplies and equipment to haul around. It has automated injecting! A mother's dream. But, guess what? Since I live in Nebraska, I can't get it yet. Doesn't matter how much money I have, they won't sell it where they don't have reps set up. If I live on the coasts, I'd be okay, but, once again, since I don't live in a huge population center, I'm screwed. Since I live in little ol' Omaha, I have to settle for older technology. Ain't that nice.

So, when people say to me, "All your inconviences can go away if you just get the pump", I want to scream. No, they wouldn't. We'd would just be trading inconviences. I'm not going to settle for something that isn't perfect.

And we aren't even go to talk about the artificial pancreas yet. Because, that is what would really be ideal. What's the hold up with that? And then, once they get that figured out and approved, guess what, it will only be approved for adults, not children. We'll have to wait another year.

So, I guess that is why we stick with shots. No one gives us the runaround with those. Maybe I'm just beat down. Maybe some day I will want to take on the system. Maybe the technology will catch up with my dream for an easier life for my son. Maybe.

If you'd like to donate to our crusade to find a cure for Diabetes, please go here, and, in the immortal words of the Bartles and James guys, "We thank you for your support."

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 06:08 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Okay, I was going to have this really great video to share with you today. But, alas the computer gods do not deem this good.

I'm working on Windows Movie Maker and the darn thing will not let me save the movie file. I've tried everything. I even redid the movie. Any magic advice out there? It's a really great movie, and I want to share it with all of you.

So, since I am getting my house ready for another fundraiser for JDRF tonight, I'm going to abort a good post for today.

Just a thought, anyone who buys Tastefully Simple products can purchase from my representative before the end of business on Friday and 15% of the sales will go to our team goal!

My reps name is Claudia Rodenburg and her email is tastefullycjathotmail.com
The website is http://www.tastefullysimple.com

Bon Appetit!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 01:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Since Diabetes has entered our lives, our days have become very structured and very different. We have lost a lot of spontaneity. We thought we would share what it is like to have Diabetes. We also thought it would be interesting to see what it is like from our different perspectives.

Christi's Perspective (CP)
6:45am Hoist myself out of a very comfortable sleep. Colin (our ten-year-old) is going to day camp this week and he needs to be up at school by 8am. He is not going to like getting up early. I have my coffee and get dressed. I get Colin up and ready. James and Maggie are still sleeping.

7:30am I test James' blood sugar while he is sleeping to see if he will be okay while I take Colin up to school. James' blood sugar is high, so he should be okay for a little bit.

James' Perspective (JP)
7:45am Having a really good dream, Mom wakes me up to test me. I want to go back to bed. I'm irritated that I have to go downstairs to eat. Having a hard time staying awake while I'm eating breakfast.

(CP)
8:10am I get back from dropping off Colin (yay!) and James is up and waiting to eat. I draw up James' two shots. I make sure there aren't any air bubbles. I double check the dosage. I measure out his cereal. I give him his shots in his bottom and then he goes to eat. He always eats all of his breakfast. Thankfully I don't have to bug him about finishing it.

(JP)
8:15am I brush my teeth and comb my hair. Don't want to get dressed yet. Mom is bugging me to make my bed.

8:41am We are working on this blog and I'm tired because I was up really late last night.

9:45am Going to Grandmas to hang out and play Club Penguin on her laptop.

(CP)
9:30am I drop off James at Grandmas. I tell her that James needs to test at 10:00am and eat. Maggie and I go home so that I can work on the wedding dress I am making for a Labor Day wedding.

(JP)
10:00am Buzzer on oven goes off. I turn it off and I tell Grandma it is time to test me. I get out my meter and get my poker ready. My number is 339 (yikes) and I tell Grandma that I can have 1 carb for a snack. I tell her I want 3 icees. I get to eat them while I am still on the computer.

11:30am Grandma and I go to Walgreens to pick up milk and then she takes me home.

12:00n Lunchtime. My job is to make lunch for everyone. I'm really hungry and I don't know what to eat. I have to test my blood sugar. Mom gets my shot ready. Mom and Maggie (my sister) want taquitos, but I don't. I decide on pizza bites. I can have 7 of them. I also have some grapes and cheeze its and milk. I really want Diet A & W, but Mom makes me have milk.

(CP)
12n Grandma brings James and 2 gallons of milk home for us (since we are going through a gallon a day! Do they make more fuel efficient kids?) James can't get his act together. He is yelling at me and his sister. He is very grumpy. Slamming the doors on the microwave and the refrigerator. I help test him, and sure enough, he is high, which explains why he can't focus and why he is ticked off. I am ticked myself, because I tell him that feeling bad is not a reason for bad behavior. Of course, I'm yelling this at him, because he wouldn't listen to me when I was talking calmly. He then settles down as I take over his chore of making lunch.

1:00pm I tell James that he needs some time alone and he is sent to his room to read.

(JP)
1:00pm I'm in trouble for goofing off while making lunch, so I'm in my room reading a Star Wars book on Boba Fett. I think the book is good.

2:00pm Mom takes me over to my friend's house. We played.

(CP)
2:00pm I drop off James at his friends, only to find out that these two kids had arranged this play date without the other mother's consent. But it all turns out okay, since she is home and they are not going anywhere. I drop him off while he is going a couple of blocks away to help his friend go get his bike. I tell James to take his kit to the deck. I'm secretly worried that he will go low while they are walking the 3 or 4 blocks to retrieve the bike. I'm hoping they will be back by 3, so that James can test and snack. So, when I get home, I call the other mother to let her know what is going on, remind her that he needs to test and snack at 3pm. She tells me that she is setting the buzzer on the oven and all is taken care of. I'm so lucky that she is a nurse and that she gets all this mandatory testing and snacking. I relax now that I know she is informed and on task. I am also lucky that other parents are willing to take on the burden of making sure my kid is okay while at their house.

(JP)
3:00pm My friend's mom reminds me to test. I go to their kitchen and get my kit to test. I feel fine, but my meter says I am low (5 , so I eat 4 tablets and a snack from the bottom of my bag. My friend got himself a snack at the same time. We go get another friend and play hide and go sneak, basketball, and we set up mini golf in his basement with blocks.

5:00pm. Mom is here to pick me up. I am having a good time playing mini golf and I don't want to leave. Mom tells me that I am going boating tonight, so I need to come home to eat and get ready. That is a surprise and I am stoked.

(CP)
5:00pm I stop by the farm stand to pick up some sweet corn for dinner. James will need a vegetable with carbs in it tonight. I pick up Colin from a friend's house and then I go to pick up James at his friend's house. James does not listen to me when I tell him it is time to go. Once outside though, he gets excited when I tell him he is going boating tonight.

5:45pm Dinner is almost ready. The chicken is fried and the corn is done. Salads are ready. Milk is poured. I go downstairs to test James' blood sugar. He is low again. I return upstairs for 3 tablets and take them to James. At least I won't have to draw up a shot. I call everyone for dinner.

(JP)
6:00pm Our friends that own the boat come over for dinner. We are having fried chicken, corn on the cob, bread, and milk. Mom tested me while I was watching tv and I was low again. So she gave me tablets before dinner. I don't need a shot! The boat's battery needs charging, so we have to get that done.

(CP)
6:30pm I get showered and changed for a night out with my girlfriends. I pack a cooler for my husband and the kids so that they will have something for 8pm snacktime and in case James goes low again. I pray a little prayer that my husband and James will remember to test and snack. I have to have a lot of faith that James will be okay when I am not with him.

(JP)
7:00pm We get to the lake and the engine doesn't start. We had to paddle back in and charge the battery up more. Then it finally started. We finally went tubing. It was awesome! We went really fast and caught some air. Once it was like 10 feet high!

8:30pm We take the boat out of the water. I know it is time to test, so I test myself while they take the boat out of the water. I was 269 (high again). I had some cheeze its. I shared them with my friend.

9:00pm We came home and had strawberry ice cream. Dad tested me again and he gave me a shot since I was still high. We watched tv for a while, then Dad made me take a shower. I was worried that I was taking a shower after my shot. My mom once told me I shouldn't do this.

11:00pm I don't want to go to bed. I want to stay up later and watch more tv on Disney Channel. Dad said to turn the tv off and get to bed.

As I read over this post, which I hope did not bore you to death, I have noticed a few things. A few things that would go away if there were a cure for Diabetes.

1. I don't have faith that James will be safe with people other than myself. Thus, I have become a control freak (which I am not sure will ever go completely away).

2. Many of James' behavior problems directly relate to his blood sugars being out of whack.

3. James has to be really responsible even though he is only 8 years old. He can't always count on the adults around him to make sure he is okay.

So getting rid of Diabetes in our life would drastically change our daily routine for the better. Maybe I wouldn't have to stock up on snacks so much! Would you help us find a cure for Diabetes? If you are interested in donating, please go to JDRF's website.

Thanks again for all your prayers and donations.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 07:35 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Thus, I have become a control freak (which I am not sure will ever go completely away). Whatchyoutalkin'aboutWillis? You've always had a strong control freak streak. Do I need to remind you about the times when we had to clean our room and the threats of bodily harm you used to level at me? James' diabetes just brings it out more. Heh. {insert ducking and running here}

Posted by: Kathy at July 31, 2007 03:48 PM (5z8Md)

2 Baldie's getting really brave isn't she? Heh. Actually, I read this whole post nodding my head and clucking with sympathy. My (please GOD) short-lived experience with gestational diabetes (where YOUR LIFE revolves around what you ate, when, and when you're next going to eat) helped me to understand completely what frustration you both must feel. Bless you, cutie pie James, I hope the JDRF hurries up! Lots of love, Margi *who is running like hell from Kathy, now*

Posted by: Margi at July 31, 2007 10:45 PM (66God)

3 Run, Forrest, RUN! Heheheheheheh. Baldie's getting brave? Chica, you've got no idea.

Posted by: Kathy at August 01, 2007 08:09 AM (5z8Md)

4 Have you ever read Dr Bernstein's book on diabetes? He developed the disease when he was 12, back in the '40s, when you had to sterilize needles and do all that work. Now he's in his 70's and says that as far as he knows, he is the only diabetic diagnosed in 1946 who is still alive. I bought the book for my adult son who didn't develop this horrible disorder until he was grown. He was ill, but we didn't know what was wrong. His sugar tested at 600 -- there's clue. Amazing that he was still walking around. It also should have been a clue that he was 6'3" and weighed 139 lbs... He had no insurance so he wouldn't let them hospitalize him. Instead, he stayed in the ER until they got his #s down in the low 300s, and then took a referral to a good endocrinologist to work on getting it down further. He read Dr.B's book, and says when he follows it he knows exactly what his #s will be. When he doesn't, there are the fluctuations you describe. Dr. Bernstein's method is hard, but it works. Most of the foods you describe are verboten...his is not a diet for the faint of heart, but it promotes health and longevity. Even at his age, he has no peripheral nerve damage. None. ...interestingly, when *I* go on that diet, I lose weight and feel wonderful. I'm not in the least diabetic, not even close. But I think Dr. Bernstein's way of eating works for anybody whose endocrine system is out of whack. BTW, he was originally an engineer. He got frustrated with the ADA's ideas about diet because his #s jumped around and he never felt well. So he went to medical school to learn what he could. And now, even in his 70's, he has a full time medical practice devoted to diabetics. Reading the intro to his book was inspiring. You can find it online if you google his name. If you buy into his ideas, just start them very very slowly. Change is painful. If anyone in your family is overweight, they would benefit too. Believe me!

Posted by: Dymphna at August 01, 2007 11:45 AM (Njon8)

5 on Baldie's bravada, I will not lower myself to that childish behavior. Because, of course, I was always right anyway. on the Bernstein book, it sounds very interesting. and I think I have heard of him. My husband is an engineer and the lack of stats makes him crazy. He would love to have James on the continuous glucose monitor because it would give us hundreds of numbers instead of 6-8. Is Dr. Bernstein's "diet" close to Atkins? When we once mentioned James eating more of an Atkins based diet, the doctors freaked out and wouldn't let us. I think it is just because all they know is carb to insulin ratios. So, my thinking is less carbs in, less insulin, less jumping around. Anyway, I will check out that book. thanks for the tip.

Posted by: Christi at August 01, 2007 12:46 PM (w7r8p)

6 My boyfriend has type 1 diabetes. He's 53 and has had it since he was 10. Even though he's had it that long, he still gets some severe lows. I joke (with gritted teeth) that he forgets he's diabetic. So I can really understand your fears about your son's sugars getting out of whack when you're not around to monitor him. You may already know this, but honey is one of the best things for bringing someone out of a low. It works faster than orange juice or the tablets. We carry honey sticks everywhere we go. They are straws filled with honey that you can get at farmers markets and natural food stores and the like. Also, you mentioned that when your son gets older, he probably won't want to use a lunch box to carry around all his supplies. I highly recommend getting a messenger bag. That's what my boyfriend carries, and it's perfect for stashing food, blood testers, etc. We don't leave home without it. Big hugs to you and your family! Let's hope they find a cure soon!!

Posted by: DogsDontPurr at August 01, 2007 05:32 PM (U44Ew)

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Well, it's that time of year again! Time for the Walk to Cure Diabetes! All week long we will be guestblogging here on the Cake Eater Chronicles to raise money to find a cure for Type I Diabetes.

I am Kathy's sister, Christi, in Omaha, Nebraska (the ol' homestead). My 8 year old son, James, has Type I (or juvenile) Diabetes. He was diagnosed right after he turned 3 years old on April 5th, 2002. We immediately went through 16 hours of survival training. This included how to test James' blood sugar, how to draw up and give insulin shots, and the quick and dirty education on nutrition.

The first 3 months after diagnosis were some of the worst months of our lives. There was so much tension in our house. So much blame. So much pain. We never thought we would get out of that phase, but eventually we did. Other families experience the very same troubling 3 months.

Now, Diabetes is just a regular part of our lives. Our regular life is somewhat different from other families though.

For example:

We have to eat at the exact same time every day, so that James can stay on an even keel. That means that James cannot sleep past 7:45a.m. He HAS to wake up and eat at that time every day. Not so easy, now that he is getting a little older and would REALLY like to sleep in.

We have to test James' blood sugars at least 6 times a day. So, no matter what is going on at 7:45am, 10am, 12n, 3pm, 6pm, and 8pm, all the action stops so that we can test James. Better have those supplies handy. Which leads to:

James must always carry his testing and insulin and snack supplies with him. He has a handy dandy Darth Vader lunch box that does the trick right now. Although he is lobbying for a nice new round baseball one for the new school year. I wonder what will happen when he hits junior high and carrying around a lunchbox won't be so cool. I guess we will deal with that new challenge when it happens.

We always have to carry extra food with us no matter where we go. One of the side effects of insulin shots is that you need to have a regular input of food to balance the input of insulin. When you are getting long acting insulin in shots, you can't just change your mind about eating. Eating can become a chore instead of a joy. So, when we are at baseball games for example, I look like overprepared psycho mom with the small cooler with enough snacks and drinks to cover any emergency!

So, enough with the "woe is me" scenario. We like to focus on the positive, it just isn't all that easy.

Since Kathy has been so nice to let us hijack her blog for our good cause, we have tried to make this as interesting as possible. So, James and I made a short video for you. We hope you enjoy it.

How's that for high tech???? Since James is getting older, I wanted him to be a part of this fundraiser and of course, video is more his speed. All week long we will have new clips for you to enjoy. If you click on "menu" in the video box and look at the related links, the one that is titled "JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes" is a great promo clip that Kevin Kline does for JDRF. Very inspirational.

The Omaha Walk to Cure Diabetes is on Saturday, August 11th. Our team, James' Jaywalkers, is attempting to raise $5,500 this year. Last year we almost raised $5,000! We have great friends, families, and of course all of you out there that we don't know, who are so generous. We so appreciate the sacrifices you make to help find a cure for this disease.

You can click on this link to make a donation online: http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=86710340

Later this week, we will have more information on the kind of research JDRF is working on, along with what advances look promising. We will also explain why James is not on the pump (yet).

So, we'll see you on Tuesday for another compelling episode of, "As the Shots Continue."

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 11:45 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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