Anniversaries

On Feb 5, Jude will have been diagnosed with T1 for One whole year. He has been diabetic for ove half of his life now! It’s really hard for me to believe! I was wondering if anyone has or does anything for their child on their “anniversary” as sort of a celebration of kicking diabetes in the throat for another whole year? LOL

We did the first year. Grace and I went to see the Diego show at the Fox Valley Performing Arts Center. I think that first year was such a big deal, because it was so overwelming. I once heard a parent describe the first year as the “dark year,” and I have to agree. I felt like my life was in a holding pattern as I struggled to just get through each day.

I think celebrating each year is a good idea. I know for me there have been special moments that were important to me, such as when we signed Grace up for soccer. I needed those reminders that she is a healthy little girl, and that diabetes is just this thing we need to work on each day.

We are still in the first year but I think it is certainly something we will do. I think celebrations are very important for the family unit.

Larry

We went out to dinner at a restaurant that he picked - and each took a turn telling him how proud we were for the things he had learned and conquered this year. I’m always hopeful that if we continue to encourage and support him that he won’t have as bad of a teen reaction because he will feel confident in his ability to manage the disease instead of overwhelmed. I know it’s dreaming but I guess I want to do anything I can to help!

You might be interested in some of the following:

TuDiabetes Poll: Do you celebrate your diabetic anniversary?
Diagnosis Anniversary

I think it’s a little different as a parent - I’m sure that as each person who deals with diabetes comes into adulthood they need to decide what to do about recognizing/celebrating/mourning their diagnosis - but from a parent’s perspective - I want my son to see that even though I can’t ever understand what it’s like to live with it myself, I want to recognize his efforts and triumphs. Of course we do this on a small scale every day he remembers to check at the right times, learns how many carbs are in foods, handles a birthday party well, etc. but the diagnosis date gives us a specific date to really say to him - “we don’t get it, but we are proud of you and we believe that since you have done so well this year . . . learned so much . . .(whatever it might be) that you will be able to overcome hurdles in the future, and we want to spend some time celebrating that about you.” Maybe it’s cheesy, but my son struggles with self image and anxiety so I want to be able to take the time to do that for him. When he’s older I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t celebrate it himself, but I’ll still want to tell him - hey, great job overcoming whatever hurdles you have faced this year.

We always acknowledged the date in my family.

We don’t, but I think that’s because the day Eric was diagnosed was my husband’s 46th birthday, and it also was the day after we lost our prize filly in a freak accident. Probably the worst 24 hours of my and my husband’s entire lives! It’s also not easy for my husband to share his birthday with the diagnosis anniversary given that he is the one who has diabetes in his family history – even though we’re not sure what kind of diabetes his father had, and it could easily have been Type 2. So I think we’re likely to just let that particular remembrance stay in our heads.

We celebrate another year of being healthy and another year closer to a cure!!!

I think its great, and plan to acknowledge it somehow special to my son in May.

For all of you parents whose children are about to have your one year anniversary…what are some ideas of what you’re going to do to celebrate? Or for those of you that do celebrate…what have you done to commemorate the occassion?

We’re about to celebrate 3 years next week. We’ll probably have a special meal and I ordered a little necklace with a girlie pendant for both my Diabetic daughter & her sister so we can all celebrate what we’ve been through and acknowledge that it affects us all, including my non-diabetic daughter. I was just reading in a book for parents of diabetic kids that it’s ok to celebrate, but being sure that the non-diabetic child is also given a gift, or special attention, etc.

we are having a diabetes survivor party on valentine’s day (it will be 1 yr). we will have cake and games. i have rented the pool/waterslide at the super 8 so we will also be swimming. ezekiel is very excited:) We are celebrating his courage, endurance and survival of this past (very difficult) year.

i also thought i would use this time to talk with his friends a little bit more about diabetes.