Month: January 2012

The role you were born to play may just be a heartbeat away

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Comedian Stephen Colbert 

Whether you know who Stephen Colbert is or not – by the way he’s the comedian who hosts his own late night TV show, “The Colbert Report,” I recently read an article in the New York Sunday Times magazine about him where one line made my skin tingle.

The author says, “The role he (Colbert) was born for…hadn’t yet come his way.” It references the fact that Colbert wasn’t very successful when he began his comedic career because he looked too bland, too sane and too conventionally good-looking. That the role he was born to play, the character he currently plays on his nightime parody show, is the one he unknowingly was waiting for. And by virtue of not giving up, for years, but persisting, he eventually got to play his role.

The take-away for me is if we haven’t known great success in the past, and/or are trying to find our way now, perhaps the role we were born to play – whether that’s in our work, love life, family etc, just hasn’t yet come our way. It may still be waiting for us if we just persist.

It inspires me to think that one day all of what I’m doing now may come together to fruition in a new way and be my penultimate role. 

Well, it’s a nice thought isn’t it? 

Volunteer abroad and empower children with diabetes

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Screen Shot 2015-02-06 at 1.31.01 PMSummer program, apply now

Here’s an opportunity I wish I could take advantage of, but unfortunately I am too old, oh yes, and I don’t speak Spanish. But if you are a young person, at least sixteen years old, do speak Spanish and would love to have a life-changing experience empowering young people with diabetes, AYUDA (American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad) is for you.

AYUDA is looking for volunteers to help children with diabetes in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. You don’t have to be in medicine and you don’t have to have or know about diabetes, you will be trained. 

The Dominican Republic program runs mid-June to early July. The Ecuador program runs mid-July to early August. Applications are being accepted now until February 1 and here’s everything you need to know. 

Have a safe and wonderful journey.

The power to tame disease

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A simple yet powerful talk

I came across this video while reading psychologist Arloski’s blog on wellness coaching. 

It’s about Dr. David Servan-Schreiber who succumbed to brain cancer almost twenty years after he got it. 

During Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s years with cancer he inspired people who have cancer to fight for themselves through diet, being present and hope. 

I found the video moving and a confirmation of how much our bodies are the result of what we do. As Servan-Schreiber says, “Food is something you do to your body three times a day.” The idea of food being something we do to our body was a different way of looking at what we choose to put into our mouths. 

You can substitute “diabetes” for “cancer” throughout this short video and I guarantee you will get something out of it. Even if just a reminder about how you’re caring for yourself and your diabetes.

Thank you Dr. Servan-Schreiber. 

Social media isn’t just for patients

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Support and idea spacePhoto social media

The social media space isn’t just support space for patients – which is incredible enough – but also “idea” space for medical device manufacturers if they’d only look. 

That’s what writer Amy Munice, blogger Amy Tenderich of DiabetesMine’s Design Challenge, her inspired device designers and I think. 

According to Amy Munice, “The foolproof way to get the right mix in social media messaging and pave the path for future patented technology, above all, is to focus on listening…all new product developers tapping into the likes of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and disease-specific niches in the blogosphere at every stage of medical device development, could well be the harbingers of engineering and design school curricula in the not-so-distant future.“

To read the full article click here.

JDRF Type 1 Diabetes Research Summit and You’re Invited!

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Saturday February 18th

If you have type 1 diabetes and could spend a Saturday hearing what’s currently going on in research toward a cure, and more – FOR FREE – would you? You can, and you are cordially invited to the second annual JDRF Type 1 Diabetes Research Summit.

Whether you are an adult with type 1, teen with type 1, parent of a child with type 1, loved one of a type 1, health care provider, CDE, MD, researcher, industry partner or interested party, the JDRF Capitol Chapter, which serves the Washington, DC metro area, is sponsoring this fantastic event Saturday February 18th  in Bethesda, MD – and welcomes you.

Registration is still open but will begin to fill up, so don’t put it off, and spread the word. Here’s the full day’s program. To register simply go here. 

While I wasn’t at last year’s event, I will be at this year’s. In fact, I’ll be moderating the dozen stand-out researchers and scientists who will be presenting. Last year’s attendees numbered more than 400 and I heard via the grapevine all thought the conference was amazing. I know this year’s event will be just as amazing, enlightening and enriching both for what you’ll learn and who you’ll meet.

So if you’re in the area, plan to be in the area, or always thought you should see our nation’s capital, come on over, we’d love to have you.

A few scheduled presentations

• Targeting A Cure For Type 1 Diabetes – Kelly Close and Adam Brown, Close Concerns

• The Hope and Promise of Stem Cells and Cell Therapies – Juan Dominguez-Bendala, Ph.D, Director of Stem Cell Development at the Diabetes Research Institute

• Current Efforts To Prevent And Reverse Type 1 Diabetes – Desmond Schatz, MD, Professor and Associate Chairman of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville

• What We Still Need to Learn About T1D – Mark Atkinson, Ph.D, Director of the Diabetes Center of Excellence at the University of Florida, Gainesville

• Until There Is A Cure – Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE, Author and Founder of Integrated Diabetes Services

The Summit runs from 10 AM to 3:45 PM. There will also be a youth program for children five years and older and an exhibit hall featuring the latest in technology and resources.

Hope to see you there among our best and brightest thought-leaders and your fellow diabetes advocates and bloggers!