It’s been a bit crazy here the past few weeks. Tomorrow I am moving my 92 year old mother (above) into a third independent/assisted living residence. All I can remind myself of is, “Three times a charm.” Then Friday I am leaving for the IDF World Congress that begins next week in Lisbon.

Should you be attending the conference. please do stop by. I will be facilitating a session called “Learning Lab: The hidden impacts of diabetes beyond the cost of insulin” Tuesday, December 6th at 10:30 am, and participating in the Fireside Chat session, “Coping with Change” Wednesday, December 7th at 2:30 pm.. It’s always lovely to be part of the diabetes community wherever I find it in the world.

All to say this space may go quiet for a few weeks. In the meanwhile, happy holidays and let’s all keep the faith.

I took this off TCOYD’s website:

The FDA just approved the first-ever disease-modifying therapy for type 1 diabetes! It is called Tzield (teplizumab) and is indicated to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes in adults and pediatric patients aged 8 years and older who are at high risk of getting type 1. The average delay in the onset of T1D observed in the clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Tzield was approximately 3 years!

Thanks to this breakthrough in diabetes treatment, individuals who are at risk of developing type 1 diabetes—especially first-and-second degree relatives of someone who has type 1—can get screened for the antibodies that predict the onset of T1D. If they test positive for the antibodies, they can look into Tzield as a potential therapeutic option to delay the onset of T1D.

There are many ways you can get screened for T1D, including at home kits that utilize a simple finger stick for blood. The type1tested.com website is a fantastic place to learn more about Tzield and the different screening options.

Sorry, you can’t play the image above, it’s just a photo. But there are two videos linked below, just click on the links.

Certainly if you do any form of meditation, including just sitting and breathing, or yoga, qigong, which I do, or Tai Chi, they are a wonderful break from the day to day stress of life – and diabetes management.

My friend Karen Rose Tank, a long time yoga practitioner, made two videos for a wonderful organization – Diabetes Sisters. Take a look, they’re short enough to do easily, and powerful enough to offer a healing or just soothing experience. And who doesn’t need that these days?

Meditation video

https://www.facebook.com/diabetessisters/videos/1083670775684355

Yoga video

https://www.facebook.com/diabetessisters/videos/1148543699391290

Medtronic, maker of insulin pumps, is kicking off this year’s World Diabetes Day, today, with their #BlueBalloon Challenge. All that’s required is you shoot yourself in a very short video, or photo, doing anything in your ordinary day, while bouncing a blue balloon. Then post it. The whole idea is to raise awareness about the fact that living with diabetes is an unseen extra balancing act we perform everyday. For every uploaded video or photo, Medtronic is donating five euro to Life for a Child that gets diabetes medicine and supplies to children with diabetes.

How to take part?

Every time someones performs a #BlueBalloonChallenge, Medtronic will donate 5€ to Life For A Child

Film yourself

Simply share a video or photo of yourself keeping a blue balloon up in the air.

If you dont have a balloon at home, you can either try our Instagram filter, or request a balloon to be sent to you by our partner #dedoc°

Post it

On social media using the #BlueBalloonChallenge and tag @MedtronicDiabetesUKI, @dedoc_org, @lifeforachild. We’d love to see your creative side, however you want to do the challenge is up to you!