Happy Father’s Day to our fathers, our grandfathers, our uncles, our brothers, and Dad’s everywhere!

You’re the Best!!!!
We love you! <3

-MJ2
(Via Twitter)

(via leeshiebean)

Just wanted to post real quick to say…
Mary Tyler Moore is going to be on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight!!!!! 
I love her!  

She’ll be promoting her new book, Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes.

I’ll be staying up to watch tonight!! :]
I can’t wait!

I wanted to write about why I love to blog and how I gave my blog it’s name.  In 2004, I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. My sister and I had transferred to a new school and the transition was okay and the classes were…well, they were the classes. But I often felt like I was the only one with diabetes out of the hundreds of people there; much like the way I felt when I was diagnosed at age 4, having no one to relate to and talk to about diabetes.  Other than the 2 diabetics in school that i never met, the only person who reallyunderstood diabetes, beside me, was my twin sister, Jackie. Even though she doesn’t have diabetes, she was always there for me and I loved every minute of it. We had every class together.   We ate lunch together, we walked to our classes together.  But what makes Jackie so special and me so lucky is the fact that  she knew when something was wrong with my blood sugar and always responded to my needs like the day I was low in geometry class, (but didn’t know it)  However, in the blink of an eye, Jackie managed to slip a juice bottle on my desk that was already opened with a little tiny note saying, “are you low? do you need juice Moll?”  She had a way of covering me in my classes, for example, one day in math class, each student was supposed to read a problem out loud and explain how they solved it. They apparently got to me, I was so low and I didn’t know it was my turn. There was no way I was able to read the problem let alone explain my answer.  Jackie subtly raised the juice bottle to the teacher and  he picked up her signal that my blood sugar was low, and skipped me and went on to another student. To some, this may not be a big deal, but if I had been left to read a problem in that state of mind, let alone answer it, I would have looked like a fool. So having Jackie, as my Diabetic Angel, always supporting me has not only helped me through diabetic emergencies, but on more than one occasion she has saved my dignity. 

Jackie, being my sister and guardian angel, always knew when I wasn’t quite myself.   Her back pack always carried at least three extra snacks and juice bottles than mine;  she is always ready.  I think I am telling you about Jackie and what she means to me, because when I was having a hard time, Jackie was always there and it’s Jackie who encouraged me to start blogging. 

I started blogging that year so I would have a means to remember what my life with diabetes was like in my teen years.  Furthermore, blogging is and always has been a way for me to vent my feelings and frustrations, as well as a way to help others through my experiences.   Not to mention all of the wonderful people I have gotten to know who also have diabetes and realizing there is a whole community of us out there blogging and trying to help each other.  

The truth is, yes, I blog for a variety of reasons, but I don’t do it alone, as always, we even blog blog together, which is why I titled my blog, “curemoll and jackie too!”

Post #2 for the Diabetes OC…Go check it out! 
—— 

    I am sure we’ve all had our fair share of insulin pump site sites gone bad. My most recent experience with this all too common diabetic scenario, unfortunately occured at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and I apparently had the wrong site. You see, my pump site located on my left hip, decided to come out during the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada in December. There I was, having a good old time at the rodeo as our singing group, Mollie and Jackie MJ2, was the backup for the National Anthem every night of the rodeo, except the closing night, because we were the act booked to sing the National Anthem for that particular night!  Any way, I had something to eat and bolused, tested a short time later, because I felt low, and I also felt my pump site poking me in the back (not a good feeling!)  I checked the site or used to be site, and to my horror discovered it was out!!! Yikes! I quickly sized up my options. I couldn’t leave incase they needed us to sing, so I decided that since most of my insulin was delivered that Diet Coke would be my only meal for the night or at least until I got home and could change the site. The worst part was not only having to test on the hour, but I couldn’t stay for the after rodeo show with Crystal Shawanda!!!!  

I know this happens to every pump user, and I really would be interested in learning what other diabetics do in these situations. Needless to say, I’m hoping that one of the pump manufacturers will hear my plea and try and resolve this problem; There simply has to be a better way than carrying multiple injection sites, shots, and insulin bottles every time you leave the house. I should add that my situation is a little trickier in that I react to all the tapes and adhesive wipes…hmmmm…what do you think about Super Glue?   Just Kidding.  Okay, the truth this, my pump works great most of the time and I’m not really feeling very sorry for myself.  However, I am concerned for all diabetics because all too often, diabetics don’t know when the site has come out and that has great potential to do harm. So, to end on a positive note, I have to say I love my Minimed Medtronic 722 and I am grateful that most of the time it works as well as it does. :) 

Any thoughts would be helpful.

Hey everyone!  So I am very excited to tell you that this week, I’m the featured guest blogger on The Diabetes O.C. website!  I’ll be posting two more entries during the week, so keep a look out!  The website is a great place to find other blogs that are related to diabetes, it’s such a cool directory!   

So, today, the first post is about why we created the Diabetic Angels. I’m so excited, I am posting a copy of it here! Feel free to leave comments! :) 

——-

Hey everyone, I wanted to start writing this blog about why almost 11 years ago, my twin sister Jackie and I, along with our mom and aunt, our mom’s twin sister, started the Diabetic Angels, let me explain.  In 1998, we were faced with a challenging situation that seriously impacted our lives, one that nearly every diabetic has experienced. Ultimately, this demoralizing incident became a blessing in disguise and resulted in the formation of a special group that raises funds and provides education and support for diabetics, their families, and friends…The Diabetic Angels.

At the age of 10, Jackie and I were having the time of our lives, we enjoyed school, had a great group of friends, and were becoming increasingly more involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, life was great…until we found out the hard way how diabetes is painful in more ways than one. The incident to which we are referring began when we had been invited to our friend’s 10th birthday party. Ecstatic, we ran home to tell our mom and for the rest of the night, going to the party was all we thought about.

The next day, our friends and us excitedly talked about all the fun things we were going to do at the party. By the time we completed our morning classes, we looked forward to lunch so we could do what we did before school, talk about the party. As usual, all of our friends sat together at the same table, and shortly after we sat down, there was a lull in the conversation as all of us started eating. However, the silence didn’t last long when the birthday girl took advantage of the full mouths and made an announcement. The birthday girl looked across the table at us and matter-of-factly said, “Oh, by the way, I have to uninvite you to my birthday party Mollie…because my mom said Diabetics are a hassle…but Jackie you can still come.” We were so stunned, we couldn’t talk, but worse, I was humiliated and brought to tears, there was nowhere to hide, no where to run. Jackie did her best to console me, but no amount of comforting was going to ease the pain. Somehow, we made it through the rest of the day, we tried to wear a smile and put up a brave front, but it only lasted until we walked off the school grounds and into our mother’s car before the two of us just started sobbing.  Mom looked at us and let us cry, but when we got home, asked us to tell her why we were crying. Jackie felt the same way as I did, the same pain I felt, Jackie felt, angry and powerless (we thought).  However, as it turned out, mom helped us understand that we weren’t helpless, and with the clarity we now had of what happened and why it happened, we began to correct the injustice. Later that night, mom contacted the parents of this child and agreed that they had the right to invite whoever they wanted to their child’s birthday party, but to tell any diabetic child, and in particular, her child, that she was a hassle because she was a diabetic, was way out of line. Mom went on to explain why I was not a hassle, as I was a well managed diabetic who knew exactly how to take care of myself and whose twin sister also knew how to help me and what to do should there ever be an emergency (which had only happened once when I was 4). Our friend’s mother agreed that she didn’t know about diabetes, admitting that she had made a mistake and didn’t mean to hurt our feelings.

A few days passed and Mom let us feel bad and try to come to terms with our emotions before she sat us down and all of us talked about what happened, why we thought it happened and what, if anything, we could do about it. At first, we didn’t think we could do anything to make it better, but the more we talked with mom, the more we realized that maybe there was a way of preventing other young people from experiencing this kind of humiliation and pain. After having talked for hours, mom explained to us that most people weren’t intentionally cruel. She told us that she believed the reason people say hurtful things such as, “Diabetics are a hassle,” is a direct result of ignorance and fear based on misinformation. All of a sudden, we understood what she had been saying, there was something we could do to stop the ignorance and the fear; that something was to find a way to help all young people who lived with a chronic disease, or who faced additional challenges.

The sadness we had been feeling for days began to diminish, as joy and hope replaced our grief and anger. By the end of the weekend, we were feeling empowered and motivated to take on the challenge of educating everyone that crossed our path about the reality of diabetes. We believed that if we could teach our friends, our peers, and our classmates, they in turn would educate their parents, their friends, and their peers…and so began the concept of the Diabetics Angels.

In the end, mom helped us understand that we couldn’t change what had been done to us, but that dwelling on it would only bring about more sadness and accomplish nothing. She told us we needed to take this negative situation and turn it into a positive force, and that in actuality this incident was a blessing in disguise. The truth is that the embarrassment, humiliation and sorrow we felt left a scar, but it is also true that the wound healed when we found hope in the idea of changing the world one friend at a time.

Over the next few months, we mounted an attack on ignorance. We invited our classmates to join us in knowing more about diabetes than most adults (which sounded like a lot of fun at the time!). We asked them to agree to learn the basics of diabetes, what it meant to have normal, low, or high blood sugar, as well as, the symptoms of high or low blood sugar and then how to respond in case of a diabetic emergency.  Now, with the help of the internet, the Diabetic Angels have a page called Diabetes 101  where diabetics can take a quick refresher course or those who just want to know, can go and learn more about diabetes. 

Furthermore, we asked them to agree to become diabetic advocates, which included writing their congressional representatives regarding the funding of diabetes research and technology. The “Diabetic Angels” also raised funds for medical research by asking people to sponsor them, as they joined our Walk Team, “Mollie’s Diabetic Angels,” in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s (JDRF’s) annual “Walk To Cure Diabetes.” Finally, the “Diabetic Angels” joined us when we made public appearances, which in the end turned out to be one of our most enjoyable endeavors.

What started as an initiative with 7 girls quickly grew to become one of the coolest clubs in school. Although learning about diabetes was a serious subject, we realized the importance of making our meetings fun, and with this in mind, we put the fun back in FUNdraising!! For example, we help meetings at the local water park, on a camping trip, as well as, at our house with a sleepover and a pizza party. Our objective was met, we had fun, our friends learned more about diabetes than we ever could have imagined, and in turn, they shared their knowledge with everyone who crossed their paths, one “Angel” even used the knowledge she had gained to save her grandfather’s life…that alone made the formation of the “Diabetic Angels” worthwhile.

Since the first meeting in 1998, our lives have changed dramatically, as we watched the “Diabetic Angels” spread to 6 continents and positively impact diabetics, their families, and their friends. Today, we are proud to say that our mission to cure diabetes and teach others about the importance of diabetes awareness, advocacy, education and fundraising is succeeding! And as our story continues, Jackie and I would like to leave you with the meaningful thoughts of two of our heroes who have inspired us and hopefully will also inspire you. Oh, and by the way, since there are two of us writing the story of the “Diabetic Angels” and we couldn’t agree on just one quote, Jackie selected Mother Theresa, who once said, “There is a tremendous strength that is growing in the world through the sharing together, praying together, suffering together, and working together” which we still do with our friends, both old and new…and I, Mollie, have chosen Albert Schweitzer, whose words taught us that if we, “Do something wonderful, people may imitate it!”  We have spent many years imitating the good deeds of people we love and respect and it is our dream not only to cure diabetes, but also that the “Diabetic Angels” become a rippling effect of kindness and giving that spreads around the world. 

Now that you have an understanding of why we started the Diabetic Angels, we would appreciate your help in our fight to stop discrimination and advocate for the cure!! If this is something you’d like to do, please become a member of the Diabetic Angels at http://www.diabeticangels.com  where together, we will create an unstoppable global movement to cure diabetes!

Hey everyone, this is truly exciting news and why we support JDRF…Kudos to everyone at JDRF who made this possible!!!! What else can I say? Getting closer to the cure is what all of us work for!! 

ABC News Lists Human Clinical Trial of Continuous Glucose Monitors Among Years Most Important Advancements

New York, NY, January 8, 2009 – The groundbreaking human clinical trial funded by JDRF that showed that continuous glucose monitors can improve diabetes control was cited by the ABC television network as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2008.

ABCNews.com polled top medical centers and physicians in putting together its list of the past year’s most important scientific advances.  The 10 developments chosen, which ranged from JDRF’s CGM trials to advances in Alzheimer’s research and an early blood test for Down syndrome, were considered the most important scientific breakthroughs by medical practitioners and the most interesting by readers.

The JDRF CGM trial was the first major, multi-center trial to document the benefits of CGM devices in helping people with type 1 diabetes better control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of devastating complications.  CGM devices, manufactured by several companies and approved by the FDA as an adjunctive therapeutic for diabetes, are a small monitor connected to a sensor that people with diabetes wear, that provide both a real-time snapshot of the glucose levels of a person with diabetes, as well as trend information on whether glucose is moving upwards or downwards, and how fast.  The devices also provide warnings when the glucose is becoming too high or too low - both dangerous conditions.

“The recognition the CGM trial is receiving will come as no surprise to people involved with diabetes research,” said Dr. Alan Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. “These study results promise to be a cornerstone of our research into metabolic control and the development of an artificial pancreas, as it shows that these technologies can provide significant improvements in the lives of people with diabetes.”

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and kills off the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.  Without insulin, sugar from food cannot be turned into energy, accumulates in the blood stream, and can cause death.  After diagnosis, people with type 1 diabetes need to check blood sugar levels multiple times every day and give themselves multiple injections of insulin, or use a pump to infuse insulin - each day, every day, for the rest of their lives.  While insulin can help control diabetes, it does not represent a cure; and even with insulin treatment, people with diabetes have significantly increased risks for devastating complications, including kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease, and heart disease.  However, research has demonstrated that improved control reduces the risk of complications.

As many as 3 million people in the U.S. have type 1 diabetes, with children representing half of those diagnosed each year.

The JDRF study was a randomized, controlled trial involving 322 patients spanning the age range of 8 to 72 years at 10 sites, which included academic, community, and managed care-based practices at the Atlanta Diabetes Associates, the Joslin Diabetes Center, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Nemours Children’s Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University, the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado Denver, the University of Iowa, the University of Washington, and Yale University, and coordinated by the Jaeb Center for Health Research in Tampa, Florida.

“The CGM clinical trial results are very important, because they show that continuous glucose monitors are tools that can substantially improve diabetes control when used regularly.  And better control can lead to a lowered risk of complications, fewer hospital visits, and importantly improved quality of life” said Dr. Aaron Kowalski, Program Director for Metabolic Control at JDRF.

As a diabetic, drinking orange juice, to me at least, normally means my blood sugar is low.   Tonight, after eating my bowl of chicken soup, orange juice sounded really good. (Yay Vitamin C!)  I poured a glass, and thought I had taken enough insulin. My pump takes forever to bolus by the way. Ugh. Now I know I should have definitely bolused more…much more.

Thank you orange juice for bringing my blood sugar up even when I didn’t want you to.  :[

First post of the new year!!!

Thank you for reading last year and I hope to keep you updated on what 2009 will bring! :]
It’s pretty exciting! 

Happy New Year everyone! :]

Happy New Year!
We wish you all the best for 2009!

Well, it’s almost the end of 2008. What a year! :] I’ve never done a blog meme at the end of the year and found this one where over the year’s entries, you pull out a sentence from each month.  Here goes! :]

January: Mudd Girls Move the World!

February:  My cute little meter read, “27?  Still standing, totally aware and quite conscious, I said to my sister, Jackie, “Uhhh, Jack? I am 27!” 

March: Wow, this picture to your left is part of Mudd’s National Advertising Campaign!!

April:  Singing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was amazing, it’s something we’ll definitely always remember.

May: Really, I am glad you ask if I’m okay, or want to know what my blood sugar is, it helps me feel like people are watching out for me, and I am not the only one.

June:  This is pretty exciting, knowing that there is no tubing, no door handles or something for the tubing to get caught on, a pump no longer clipped to my pocket bulging out from under my shirt - just a little “pod” anywhere I feel like putting it. 

July:  Happy Fourth of July! 

August:  Jackie and I are so excited to announce that we have been named as two of the spokespeople for Heart of Gold!

September:  Speaking of Jackie, I want you and the world to know that without you always by my side, being my guardian angel, and protecting me along the way, I can’t imagine how empty and frightening my life would be without you.

October:  As of right now, I feel so plugged in, attached, and connected to medical devices.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Always Praying for a Cure,
Mollie and Jackie

Thursday night was the first day of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo!!! I am a huge fan and love every minute of the 10 day event here in Las Vegas. Plus, we’re singing the National Anthem on the last night! Very exciting!

Any way, last night, I was so caught up with the Rodeo and meeting some pretty amazing people that I never  ate a thing since earlier that day at lunch..and tested my blood sugar twice while we were there. My numbers were low when we got to Rodeo and I drank some juice, and then that little bottle of orange juice must have tasted real good because before I knew it, I drank the whole 10 ounces. My numbers were a little higher than I hoped by the end of the Rodeo but I was so hungry!  

We got home and it was pretty late.  We heated up frozen pizza. (It was wonderful) I bolused with a correction as if it were dinner time and I can test the whole night through and then test again before I go to sleep like I always do.  During the night, the alarm I had set to test never went off or I never heard it apparently, and when I woke up this morning, it took everything I had to reach over to my night stand to test -  I felt so low! I hate that feeling.

The number was 124 which is a great number to wake up at for me, but the whole “feeling low when waking up”  isn’t so cool. :\

The Diabetic Angels, which began 10 years ago, are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our 10th anniversary by being featured on the back of Nacho Cheese Dortios thanks to Do Something and their Frito Lay Doritos campaign!!

We are extremely excited for the opportunity to reach and inspire young people across America. The Doritos campaign originated from a partnership with DoSomething.org, which celebrates through their annual Do Something Awards, “young do-gooders,” who are changing the world. We are proud to be associated with Do Something and grateful that the Doritos campaign aids us in furthering our cause to raise diabetes awareness.

We believe anyone can be a DA. Ultimately, we hope that with the help of DO SOMETHING, Frito Lay and their Doritos promotion of the DA’s, we will be able to expand our campaign globally to improve the lives of diabetics around the world.

According to a previous press release from Frito-Lay, The Doritos brand and Frito Lay recognizes inspirational individuals by sharing their stories with millions on bags of Doritos tortilla chips. The new Doritos packaging will feature a photograph and profile of the DOSOMETHING Award Winner and all 19 finalists’ projects.

“We know young people today want to make a difference in the world, and they have a voice to be heard,” said Ann Mukherjee, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. “Doritos recognizes that this voice is only as loud as the stage they are given and that’s why Doritos is providing these inspirational young people with a creative outlet to share their stories.”

“It doesn’t matter how rich or famous you are, the only way to get your mug on a bag of Doritos tortilla chips is do something amazing. These kids rock! They are like do-good Olympians,” said Nancy Lublin, CEO of DoSomething.org.

Celebrating these award winners on bags of Doritos tortilla chips is part of the brand’s commitment to recognizing the power and passion of young people today.

The Doritos brand is a trademark of Frito-Lay North America, the $10 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo divisions include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade, and Tropicana.

Thanks to Dr. Dewan for this extremely helpful list of Halloween Candy, it’s our hope that this will be beneficial to all diabetic Trick-or-Treaters and their families in the management of their Diabetes as they have the occasional diabetic treat.

Personally, my favorites are M&M’s and Snickers, which I don’t have that often, but it’s great to know the carb breakdown for each of these special treats!

For those of you who find this information helpful and want to express your gratitude to Dr. Dewan, you can email him by clicking here! 

                  

Halloween Candy 
Carb List!!

Sorry it’s been so long everyone, but this is the first time I have had a chance to sit down and blog!!  Even writing this, I almost typed “site” instead of “sit!” Any way, I have everything diabetes on my brain right now, so here goes!  

Before leaving the house this morning, I received a phone call and I was approved for the Omnipod! My insurance is covering it and I am so happy! I don’t know what it is, but when I am wearing the Omnipod, I have better control, and I’m just so excited for the Omnipod boxes to be coming in the mail now!!! :] Yay!! :]

So much has been happening in my life, that it’s making it difficult for me to find time to blog! But, never fear, in one way or another, I’ll be here! :]  For the record, my endocrinologist even says that I’m busy.  Which reminds me, I had an endocrinologist appointment today. Let’s just say I have a goal of bringing my a1c down, exercising more, changing my poker lancets more often, carb-counting, keeping a diabetic logbook and actually tracking my blood sugars, boluses, and food, plus I’m going to be tweaking my basal rates again. Translated, this means, I’m in good shape, but not in great shape, and I want to do whatever I must do for better control. 

Since my insulin pump ’s reservoir was low when I woke up this morning, I stuck an Omnipod on my stomach before leaving, bolused for breakfast, and went on with my day, and as usual, I had late morning highs, (one of those problems I’m addressing) 

Tonight, I put in a Minimed Continuous Glucose Sensor and am now wearing an empty Minimed pump.  Yes, it’s beaming wirelessly to my CGM that is stuck on my stomach! (This feels so weird) I’ve got a half hour left on the “2 hour start” for the sensors, in 3 days I can upload the information to my doctor and together, we will tweak my basal rates and adjust any necessary insulin to carb ratios, which for those of you, like me, didn’t know, in the Omnipod, are called the “IC Ratios.” :] See? We can learn something new everyday

As of right now, I feel so plugged in, attached, and connected to medical devices.
“Don’t forget the PDM” i thought to myself leaving my room this morning.

My mom sat in the kitchen saying, “I can’t wait for the implantable pumps and sensors, so you don’t have to constantly inserting, detaching, inserting, detaching….” And I agree, that will be wonderful. 

Obviously, I know that having these devices are in my best interest, and I do appreciate the doctors and researchers who made these devices possible, and it really does help me and my diabetes in so many ways.   But i can’t get away from feeling like the bionic diabetic.

Sometimes I wonder how it was that Barack Obama was so easily able to raise more than 456 million dollars in one year. I can’t help but think if its so easy for Senator Obama to raise this much money in one year, why can’t the celebrities and politicians who are helping to elect Senator Obama to the most powerful office in the world, and the Senator give a little more of their time and money back to the people, who support to see ther movies, go to their concerts, and send their last $5 into a campaign? Why we can’t raise those same amounts to cure diseases, like diabetes? Do you think 456 million dollars could cure diabetes? Or maybe Cancer? Or Heart Disease? Do you think that since so many celebrities are helping Senator Obama raise so much money to get elected, that Senator Obama might be willing to attend fundraisers on behalf of diabetics, or other diseases, especially since earlier this evening, in the last Presidential Debate, Senator Obama said he wanted to increase funding for preventable diseases, like diabetes…someone should tell him that Type 1 Diabetes is not curable, and Type 2 Diabetes is manageable, but also hereditary.
Interesting thought. Maybe someone will ask Senator Obama if after the election, he can spare a little time to raise those same amounts of money to cure diseases? 

By the way, I’m not angry, I’m sad. I’m amazed that so many people can give so much to elect a man to office when that man could have accepted Federal Funding (public funding/matching funds) leaving hundreds of millions of dollars that could have been donated to charities…the people he says he wants to help. This is meant to be bipartisan, I think both parties can do more, but in this case, Senator McCain accepted federal funds, and Senator Obama changed his mind so that he could out-spend Sen. McCain at least 3 to 1. To me, that’s overkill, but I am not his campaign manager.  Oh well, food for thought.

This past weekend, the original Diabetic Angels had the opportunity to travel to Calgary - in Canada - where “Mollie and Jackie” performed atCalgary’s 2008 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Gala, “Starry Starry Night.” We were thrilled to be able to support JDRF Canada and have the chance to meet so many amazing people.

Thursday, September 25, 2008
We just got to the hotel here in Calgary, and are all really excited to do our first show to kick off our career as “Mollie and Jackie!” You see, tomorrow, we’ll be singing at the JDRF Calgary’s “Starry Starry Night Gala” at the Hyatt Calgary Hotel! We better get some sleep for the sound check tomorrow and the show tomorrow night! We’ll write later!

Friday, September 26, 2008
It’s the day of the show! We went down for the sound check and gave the sound man a cue sheet, that indicates to him when to start and stop the music. The sound check was a little challenging, but we got through it, got a bite to eat and went upstairs to get ready for the show!

Tonight, we’re singing at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Calgary “A Starry Starry Night” Gala at the Hyatt Calgary Hotel, which is why we dressed a little more formally, actually we’re more comfortable in our jeans and cowboy boots! Anyway, we went on at 7:30 and we all had a great time performing (as you can probably tell by the pictures), but we were thrilled to support JDRF and our friends in Calgary!!

After our performance, we sat with Randy Diddams and his wife, Regional Manager Fundraising and Development, and we all enjoyed the rest of the entertainment.

The MC Nirmala Naidoo, the news anchor on Global Calgary in Canada, and Mollie and Jackie!

It was so nice to mingle and talk to people, especially some of the volunteers working to help JDRF, Amanda and Stephanie! :]

Mollie, Jackie, Megan, COO of JDRF Canada, with Mollie and Jackie! It was nice to see you again! :]

Heather and Randy, volunteers for JDRF, have a three year old daughter named Sasha, who was diagnosed when she was 14 months. We met Randy that night, and he mentioned to us that they read read our blog, curemoll, and really enjoy reading about what it feels like when Mollie’s blood sugars are low or high, because since their daughter is so young, she can’t yet describe how she is feeling.

We met Nick and Michael who are two young men who volunteer and give of their time to support JDRF, and who we had spent some time with after our show at the Gala! :]

Saturday, September 27, 2008

On Saturday, we had breakfast with some new members of the Diabetic Angels!! Click Here to read more!
 

We walked around for a while before leaving the hotel for the airport. We stopped for lunch at a café, and did some window shopping, warmed up with a wonderful cappacino and chai tea.

We wanted to know what the statues felt like, so we thought we would stand like them for a while! Actually, it was a lot of fun! :] Ah, it did turn a few heads.

As you can tell, the most stylish member of MJ2 is our Aunt, lovingly known as Aunt Mama, because she looks exactly like our mom. As a matter of fact, Aunt Mama is not only stylish, but definitely a trendsetter! But she’s also crazy. The good news is, she keeps us laughing! As you can see by the pictures below!! :]
a true fashion icon! :]

Our trip to Canada was an amazing experience and as you can see, we had tons of fun! :] Thanks for coming to our blog and we hope to hear from you! :]

To view more pictures, go to our Flickr!

NEWS FLASH!

Between September 15th and October 15th, we are working to Raise Funds to help Cure Diabetes and you can help!!!!

The four of us and our family have formed a “Virtual Walk Team” for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. If you would like to make a difference in the life of millions of diabetics around the world, please join us and support of “Mollie and Jackie’s Diabetic Angels” as we Walk to Cure Diabetes this fall!!!!! If you would like to join “Mollie and Jackie’s Diabetic Angels” virtual Walk Team, we sure would LOVE your help!

IT’S EASY! Click on the banner (picture) to your left to make a donation and watch the thermometer climb! Together with all of our friends around the world, we can make a difference! We can CURE DIABETES! Please click here to help!

All monies raised by Mollie and Jackie’s Diabetic Angels Walk Team, are tax deductible, and go directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International to help diabetics all around the world!

Thank you!

Always Praying for a Cure,
Mollie, Jackie, and our entire family

Over the weekend this one particular Sir Pod had been through it’s 72 hours of life. 
It had been beeping all day letting me know…

“Ahem! It’s almost time to change me! I’m running out of my insulin!”

I took the hint, deactivated the pod, and was politely asked if I would like to activate a new one. Thank you very much, I would love to! I put the insulin in the new Sir Pod, waited for it for “Prime,” and got everything ready before I stuck it on me, and then I thought of good places to put it. Especially since we were going out that night, I was wearing a dress. This might not be so unusual, but for me wearing dresses with insulin pumps now, is so cool! :] I don’t have to worry about anything anymore. 

Big News here: I can wear it on my stomach now! 

Sir Pod was put on my stomach, which for the second time in all of my insulin pump wearing years - it’s conformable there!!! This is also another “sooo cool” moment!!  As of right now, it’s still comfortable, sticking on my stomach with no problem, and I can’t even feel the insulin delivering. 

I love my Omnipod. :]
(and I love how the screen light always comes on, no matter what! Testing my blood sugar in the dark is amazing now.)  

Always Praying for Cure,
Mollie

P.S. Oooh!!! My 15th Diabetic Anniversary is on Monday!! 

How should I celebrate? :]