Snowboarding!!!!!

  For this whole entire year, I have been DYING to go snowboarding! I've been before, and it immediately became my new favorite sport. And then came diabetes. About two weeks ago, my family decided that we would go snowboarding again (yay!). Then it hit me that diabetes would interfere. What if my blood sugar started drop first thing and I lost balance? What if my blood sugar rises like crazy? But that was when I smacked diabetes across the face and told myself that I wouldn't let diabetes stop me :). So we put in my dexcom, and set off to go snowboarding! Well before that, we packed some snacks and stuff. When we arrived, I put on my snowboarding gear along with everyone else. Since exercise brings down my blood sugar, I took off my pump and set off for adventure! And my blood sugar actually stayed really good! And it was a TON of fun :).

The CGM

   I've been having less and less to write about, so I'm very sorry if I don't write for a while :(. Anyway, I got the CGM I told you about! What you do is you put in a site (kind of like a pump but with no tubing) and it reads your blood sugar, and sends the reading to a little device the size of an iPod! I still have to prick my finger like normal, but the CGM can alert me if My blood sugar starts dropping or rising. It's SO nice to have (except for when it beeps at me during the night...) But yeah, it's pretty cool! It shows my blood sugars in the form of a graph. That's all! :)

Stuff.

   Sorry I haven't written for a LONG time. Anyway, I titled this post "Stuff", because I'll be talking about a few different things XD. First off, my first day of middle school starts TOMORROW. Summer went by way to quickly, it stinks! XD. Luckily I have a pump, which should make middle school a little easier. But honestly it's not about handling my diabetes that I'm worried about. It's the thought of new people, new teachers, new subjects, new everything! (And I'm worried about how much drama will be going on... XD) But I'm also excited for all of that, too. New things can be fun sometimes! :). But that's enough about middle school. Back to diabetes. Recently I went to the Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, and met with Dr. Gearheart. We started talking about CGMs (Continous Glucose Monitor). A CGM is a little device that can tell me where my blood sugar is headed. It's very useful, because that means I won't have to prick my finger as often (in order to check my blood sugar, I have to put a drop of my blood into a small machine, and it tells me what my blood sugar is)! For the CGM, I insert a "site" into my skin, and it uses Bluetooth to connect to a small device, which will show my where my blood sugar is heading. One site can last a whole week! My parents are ordering a CGM. I'm excited! :D

And On Goes My Blood Sugars...

   Sorry I haven't written for a while! Anyway, I just went to the beach for a week! It was SO fun, and my blood sugars were perfection! XD. Except for the last two days. They were up in the 200s. We were shocked - they had been SO good! From then on they've been from the 200s to the 300s! At first we thought there was something wrong with the part of my pump that holds insulin. So we changed that out today. Didn't work. We now are having to change how much insulin my pump gives me every hour. We think the honeymoon phase of my diabetes is actually ending! ...that sounds weird. Let me explain what the "honeymoon phase of my diabetes" is. The honeymoon phase happens when you are first diagnosed with diabetes. The honeymoon phase is when you still have a few beta cells (the insulin makers) left. It lasts from about 6 months to a year. Unfortunately, my parents and I think that mine is ending after only four months of diabetes. It may not sound like it's THAT bad, but it is. Okay, just picture a... roller coaster. When the honeymoon starts ending, your blood sugars are a roller coaster. You hop on, and the cart starts climbing higher and higher (like my blood sugars). Then suddenly, down you go! up down, left right, upside down, up, and all over the place (like my blood sugars. XD.). That, is what diabetes is XD.

My First Day at Camp Trios!!! :)

   I have to say that that was AMAZING!! I went to my first day of Camp Trios today, and I made some new diabetic friends! It was so cool to see about 50 kids with pumps, checking their blood sugar, and doing everything I do! When I first walked in, I have to say, I was actually nervous. I thought it would be hard to make friends in a day. Then, we did our first activity. We did a team race, and I met a girl named Sidney. I didn't hang out with her a ton, but she was still a nice person. Then, we went back to our normal teams, and I met a girl named Sylvie. We talked for a bit, and she was pretty nice, too. Then I met my two best diabetic friends. Their names are Dulcé and Mable. Dulcé is actually going blind, but she has a very positive attitude. She's nice and fun to be around. And Mable is also on a pump. She has a spunky, fun attitude, and she's nice to everyone. I can't wait to go back tomorrow! We did a team race, made team flags, ate Subway sandwiches, did group pictures, and went to Splash Down Cove (at the Court Club). I am SO excited to go again tomorrow! :D

Camp Trios

I am very happy to announce that I am going to a three-day camp! And, it's for Type One Diabetics! :) I am really looking forward to it. I can't wait to meet some other kids my age with Type One Diabetes that live in this area. I'm going next week, and I'm SO excited! I'll definitely write about it on this blog after I go. And I'm getting my pump on two days before camp! So things will probably be crazy during camp because of my pump, but oh, it'll be worth it! XD

Is Summer Good or Bad???

   On June 12th, we got out of school. It was a really depressing day for me. I was in fifth grade, and knowing that I wouldn't be able to see the adults that helped me (such as the nurse, the office, and Ms. McLean my teacher) made me really emotional. I don't know why I cry SO much! It's actually kind of annoying! XD. Anyway, it was especially hard for two reasons. One is because I would never spend a full day at that school again. The other is because I had befriended a lot of people that gave me a hand when I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. But I told myself to stop crying: being sad about things is NOT going to get you anywhere! Really, think about it. It really won't do you any good to be sad. So I just looked on the bright side: I made some amazing memories! I'm going to middle school! I'm getting a pump during summer! I can still come visit this school sometimes! But I still cried. I knew that it was still okay to be sad every once in a while!

Introducing the t:slim

   My pump finally came!!! Actually, it came last Thursday, so I've had it for a while. Anyway, When I picked up the box, I felt like bursting with joy! The only thing is that I can't even wear it yet. I mean, I don't even know how to bolus on it! I don't know enough about it yet, so I can't wear it yet. The thing is, the girl who sent it to us and contacts us about it lives in Montana! So she'll either come here, or some other pump people will come talk to me about it. I just seriously CANNOT wait to put it on and feel free!

Popsicles and Gobstoppers

     My book buddy is probably one of the nicest kids on the planet. In fifth grade, we do something called "Book Buddies", where we read books with first graders for half an hour. Anyway, today is the second to last week of school, so my class and our book buddies had a little celebration to kick off the school year. Ms.McLean, my teacher, brought in popsicles. They were only ten carbs each, so thankfully I could eat them without insulin. Then our book buddies came. Asher, my book buddy, handed me 2 boxes of Gobstoppers and Nerds wrapped in a ribbon with a little tag that said, " ~Thank You ~  -Asher".  That totally just made my day. I gave him a little hug and kept saying, "Thank you so much!!!" And as if it were no big deal he just kept saying "you're welcome..." You might be wondering why I'd be so excited even though I can't eat them. First off, it just made me so happy that he was giving me something and thought about me. Second off, they'll make great emergency snacks!!! XD. I didn't tell him I couldn't eat them, because that would just be kinda' mean. As we walked back inside the school, kids knew I couldn't eat them so they'd say, "Can I eat those?" "You can't eat those, so can I have 'em?" "Why do you have those?" Honestly, it was pretty funny (and annoying) to see how many people would come up to me and ask me. XD

I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!

A couple days ago, I was talking to my friend ( also a type one diabetic) and she said she just got her pump! I'm really happy for her, because she said she really enjoys it. That made me think about the pump I would be getting in a month. I'm getting a t:slim, which is the same kind she got. When she said she loved it, that was really good to hear. Later in the day, I was thinking about my pump. I brought up the topic of pumps to my dad. Then, he said something that made me SOOOO happy. My dad told me he called the pump people (as we call them XD) and they told him I'm getting my pump in a week!!! My friends at school are probably tired of hearing me rambling on about my pump, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that realizes how nice it will be, and how helpful it will be. I just can't wait for a pump!!!!!

One of Those Days...

We diabetics always have those days. You just don't want it anymore. It's too much, and it makes life harder. You just think that diabetes is the worst thing to have to deal with. Today was that day from the very start. My mom got me out of bed, and I begged to stay home from school. And when I finally got out of bed, she said, "Do you wanna check your blood sugar?" "I don't want to, but I will," I replied. I did not want diabetes (but that's normal with most people XD). Then at school, my blood sugar got to 210, which is a pretty high number. It should be from 80 - 150. By then, I was just done. Then I remembered that I should be looking at the bright side of things :). If you look at the bad things in your life, it's not gonna get you anywhere. All it's going to do is make you gloomy and antisocial. It's just a bad habit to look at the downside. But, my goal lately has been to be on the bright side. I thought about how lucky we are to have this technology to help us. About how strong I am. About how well I have been doing with this disease I got only 2 months ago. Looking on the bright side can turn your day around and make life so much simpler. Look on the sunny side :D.

A Pump, Please!

Yesterday, I got to get out of school because of a diabetes appointment in Spokane, at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital (where I was diagnosed). I was just having a checkup with Dr.Gearheart (I think that's how you spell it...). But then, my mom and I brought up the topic of pumps. A pump is a machine that can give me my insulin without having to get a shot. They're about the size of an iPod Touch, maybe a tiny bit smaller. The pump holds a container of insulin, and there is a tube connected to the container. The tube goes into my body (not that deep!), and gives me insulin! I just type in how much insulin I need, and Walla! That's the basics; there's a lot more you can do with it. Anyway, I only knew a teeny bit about them. Dr.Gearheart and my diabetes educator (Ann) told us about different kinds: the Medtronic, the Animas, the Omnipod, and the t:slim. To sum things up, the Medtronic was a little iffy, but still good. The Animas, or Ping, didn't sound like my type of thing. The Omnipod sounded really good, but it only had a remote control type of thing, and I lose things pretty easily XD. The t:slim sounds like my dream pump XD. It's a touch screen, really easy to use, etc.. Of course, every pump has it's cons, so I still don't know which one to choose. I personally really like the t:slim, but we're still new to this whole pump thing. I had been told I wouldn't get a pump for six months to a year, but now, hopefully, I'll get a pump in a month! :) :)

Happy Star Wars Day!!!

This has nothing to do with having diabetes, but happy Star Wars day! I'm a Star Wars nerd. May the 4th be with you! XD Anyways, I got a voicemail from my uncle Jeff (also a type one diabetic). He was just saying that if I wanted to talk to him anytime, I could. He also told me that when I get a pump, I can feel free to call him and talk about them and stuff like that. I felt really good after  I listened to him. I actually felt normal, and I didn't feel alone anymore. I know he was just calling to talk to me, but it actually made my day. I still haven't called him back, but I plan on it! XD. 

I've Been Shot!

The first time I came close to giving myself a shot was at the hospital. But instead of just going into my skin, I kept getting super close, and then I pulled it away. I did that about 10 times, half of them I was going in my skin. But since I couldn't feel the tiny needle, I would just pull it out again! My mom kept saying, "Gracie! You just went in and pulled it out! Stop doing that!" It was pretty funny. XD. From then on, my parents always did it for me. A couple days after I came home, I got up in the morning and told my mom I wanted to try giving myself the shot for breakfast. "Are you sure?" She asked. "I'm sure," I said. So she handed me the KwikPen. I counted to three, and I did it! We were so excited. At lunch, I was so proud 'cause I could do it myself! So I grabbed the KwikPen, and...I couldn't bring myself to do it! I still don't know why I couldn't. It makes no sense whatsoever XD. For about a month, I couldn't do it myself. I would hold the pen, but my parents had to push my hand to my skin. But about half a week ago, I told my parents, "I think if you just touch my arm when I give myself a shot, I can do it. Only because I'm probably used to you touching me when I go in my skin, so it's worth a try!" I held the KwikPen close to my skin counted to 3, and when my mom touched my arm, I went in. I was really excited! I did that until yesterday night. I told my sister I felt confident enough to do it. And I did do it! This is a huge deal to me and my parents, because we waited so long for me to do it myself again!

Diabetic and Sick!?

Recently, my sister, Skylar, got sick. We thought it was a cold at first, but then she was just way to exhausted and tired. You can tell we are not that good at guessing what sicknesses we have! XD. She got really sick. My parents kept telling me to stay away from her. She told everyone else too, but especially me. No touching her or the things that she touched. I asked why, and they said that if a diabetic gets sick, their blood sugar will go nuts! Up and down and up again, and it would be really bad if I got sick. Especially that particular sickness. It was really hard not to be able to hang out with her without sitting on a different couch, or sitting at the different end of the table. It really stunk. :(. She was very slowly recovering, and when she finally recovered, my dad got the sickness. He was super tired, and he wouldn't let me hug him when I go to bed, only because he was afraid of me catching it. I was really worried because it seemed to be getting worse. My dad finally started recovering, but it was also really slow. He's still sick, and I still have to keep my distance. It really stinks not to be able to be around sick people. :(.

Others With Type One

Yesterday, my mom told me that a lot of people wanted to meet me. She showed me the comments on a picture she had posted on Facebook. A lot of parents were saying that their kids would like to meet me (because my mom asked). It feels really good to know that I could maybe have a lot of friends to actually relate to. :). Also, my mom showed me that this one parent read my blog and realized how important it was that Type One Diabetics have people that they can relate to. So the parent just recently started a page for LDS Type One Diabetic Youth (ages 11 - 18). You can just talk to other Diabetics your age that are LDS. I haven't done anything on it yet, but I seriously can't wait! :D

Another Girl With Type One

Yesterday morning, my Mom wanted to show me something. She got out her phone and told me that I could talk to someone my age with T1D. There's one website where LDS parents that have kids with T1D can talk to each other. She said there was one mother in Idaho that had a 12 year old daughter who was also just recently diagnosed. My mom told her that I was also recently diagnosed and would like to meet or talk to someone my age with T1D. Since we live pretty far away from Idaho, we probably won't get to meet each other physically, but we could at least talk to each other with media. I can't wait to meet her!

Anyone Else?

When I got home from the hospital, I asked my parents if they knew anyone that had a daughter my age with T1D (Type One Diabetes). I was so happy to hear that they had a lot of phone numbers to call so I could get to know someone else my age with T1D. In fact, I was so happy that every single night I asked if they would make some calls. They still haven't, only because when I ask them to call, it's always 10:00! I've always wanted to meet someone my age with T1D. Well, I haven't always wanted to meet them, because I was only just diagnosed :). I just feel like if I had a best friend with T1D, I wouldn't feel so alone. The only time I've had a deep conversation with someone with T1D is my uncle, Jeff. It felt soooo good just to talk to him and relate to each other, and even tell stories about moments where we had hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). I just felt like I could let my feelings out and actually relate to someone. It would just be so nice if I could do that more often. 

Exactly.

Getting Diagnosed: Part 8

Nothing very interesting happened for the next few days. But one morning, when I woke up, my parents told me we were leaving that day. I can't tell you how happy I was. But the thought of seeing my siblings again filled me with happiness. "Woo-hoo!" I exclaimed. After I got ready, my mom's grandparents (or my great grandparents) came in. We talked for some time about how surprising it was that I got diabetes. When they left, two women came in to talk to us about foods that I can eat and foods that I can have every once in a while. They left, and then my parents and I talked about what it would be like to leave. My dad said, "It just feels so weird that we'll be leaving. It's like, do we take a nurse home with us to check you or what?" We all laughed. He wasn't the only one who felt that way! My mom went up to the front desk and got her papers that would allow me to leave. She filled them out and gave them to a nurse. She told us we could leave after lunch. So my parents and I quickly went downstairs to the cafeteria, got our lunch, and scarfed it down. Then we went upstairs, got our bags, and brought them out to the car. I stared at the car for a bit. "Soooooo...do I just get in, or what?" I said. My parents laughed. "Yep, you just get in!" "Okay, this feels weird," I said to myself. And don't get me wrong, I was overjoyed to go home! It just felt so - I don't know - off, I guess. I can't really find the word for it. Basically, it was like Wait, I'm going home now? No one's gonna' stop me? Where's the nurse? We're on our own now? I felt like we wouldn't be able to do it ourselves. But then I thought of one thing that made me calm down: I'm going home! The hospital trusts that we can do it! I thought to myself. I'm going home.

Getting Diagnosed: Part 7

The next day, we took a walk around the hospital. Then we ate lunch, and basically just relaxed, because we were EXHAUSTED. Then my cousin (Ty) called me. It was nice to talk to him. We talked for probably 10 minutes, then Ann came in. She showed me the insulin shots, which I had already seen before. Then she showed us things called "Kwik-Pens." They are basically insulin shots, but they look like pens. You take off the lid and twist on the needle. And the needle is even tinier than the other insulin shot needles! I got to practice injecting insulin into this weird skin-colored rubber thingy-ma jigger (I honestly have no clue what it was XD). Then when she left, we basically just talked about stuff. I texted my friends and they were eager to know how I was feeling. And since nothing else really happened that day, I'm gonna' tell you about a little scare my family and I had recently. So I have two different types of insulins that I have to take. Humalog lasts 2-3 hours, I take it before meals, and it acts very quickly. Lantus lasts 24 hours, and I take it at bedtime. So one night my dad gave me 14 units of insulin, as usual. but then, he took a second glance at it, and realized that he accidentally gave me 14 units of humalog, not lantus. So I was freaking out because my blood sugar would start dropping pretty soon, so I kept asking my parents to call the Sacred Heart hospital. They agreed, and while my mom was on the phone, my dad calculated that I would have to eat 210 carbs, which is A TON. So my dad gave me 3 berry juice boxes, 2 apple juice boxes, 2 thin mint girl scout cookies, 2 peanut butter girl scout cookies, and 1 cup of milk. When I first started eating, I thought Yay! I can finally eat sweet stuff! But after the first thin mint, I felt like I would throw up. It took me a while, but I finally finished my girl scout cookies. I was soooo full. Then my dad said, "Hey, 1 ounce of granola has 20 carbs. Have this!" I said "I'm too full!" So we took my blood sugar, and I was perfectly fine! Phew! No granola for me! :) Before I ate all of that stuff, my dad said a prayer that I would be okay. And as soon as he finished, I felt relaxed. Prayers have been so helpful during this time. Thank you to those who have been praying for me, because I have felt the comfort of your prayers, and I feel great. :)

They look different, but when you are tired, you might just grab the wrong one!

 

Too sweet...

Getting Diagnosed: Part 6

The day we were going to move out of my room and into a different one, my parents brought me food from the cafeteria. After we ate, I grabbed all of my stuff. But it was always so annoying because I had one IV left in my arm (an IV pumps nutrients into me that food would usually give me, and it filtered out my ketones. I'll explain that later). But my IV was attached to a monitor on wheels that I had to bring with me EVERYWHERE (I named it Marv the monitor. I would have to have it follow me around, so why not give it a name?). Anyway, I grabbed Marv and my stuff. We headed out the door, and Deniese walked us to our new room. BTW, I could finally walk again! :) She opened the door, and honestly, it was smaller than our old one. But it was better than the old one in so many ways! We had a great view of the city, an Xbox, a fridge, and it just felt homier. I set my stuff down and lay on the bed to catch my breath. I could walk, but it was still a little weird for me. So once I caught my breath, I still lay there, because I'm just lazy like that. So let me explain what ketones are. Ketones are acidic chemical substances that the body makes when there isn't enough insulin in your blood. That day, when my dad checked my ketones, he said that I didn't have any, which meant that I could finally have my IV taken out! That was super exciting to me, and we called the nurse. They took it out. It was a painful process, but it was better than having the IV. Say goodbye to Marv! We all cheered, because it took me longer than usual to get them out. Later that day, I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, which had quite a few carbs. I took a bite, and felt like throwing up. I was really worried, because I had already taken a lot of insulin, but I wouldn't be able to finish my dinner. Then, out of nowhere, my mom and I burst into tears. Not because of the fact that I couldn't finish my dinner, but because we felt like we didn't know what we were doing. It felt really good to let out what I had been keeping inside of me that whole week. We got dinner figured out, I just ate other things that had the same amount of carbs. That night, we watched some Studio C (Studio Comedy). I showed my parents the episode where this one guy has diabetes, but his friends think his insulin is his drug. It felt really good to have some laughs. Watch the video below!

Getting Diagnosed: Part 5

Later that evening, my mom told me that my cousin, Riley, had stopped by. But she couldn't come in because I was in the section where the sick patients were. But she dropped off a present. It made me sad that I couldn't see her, but it was nice knowing that I had a visitor. She gave me a pink plush owl, a polk-a-dot pen, a Legend of Zelda bag, a giant Mad Libs book, and a Minecraft keychain. That made my day. Later, she called and we talked about my diabetes for a little while. For the rest of that day and the day after, many visitors came like Deniese, Bill Martin, a girl named Ann who taught me more about diabetes, and my mom's cousin. The day after, they told me that soon, I would move to a new room. I would be going to the pediatric cancer section of the hospital. That place was so much bigger than I thought!

Here is a great video of Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, where I stayed!  They took really good care of my there.

Getting Diagnosed: Part 4

Everything went really well that day. Other than not being able to get up and actually do something, my day was good. A woman knocked on our door, and when we let her in, she said her name was Deniese. She was one of my many nurses. And she was awesome (just saying). She told me that before every single meal for the rest of my life, I would have to inject insulin anywhere where there is fat. So my thighs, stomach (my favorite spot to do), arms (my least favorite spot to do), and my butt. At first I was like, I'm gonna' get a shot before every single meal for my whole life? Ouch! But then she showed me the needle, and then I calmed down. It took me a while to find it, that thing was so tiny! So before I got to eat my breakfast, she gave me a shot. To be completely honest, I didn't feel it one bit. "And just for fun," Deniese said, "you get to inject your dad in his arm." I smiled. "Really?" I asked. She nodded. She handed me the needle, but it probably took me 30 seconds before I actually did it. He didn't feel it either. So then he did it to my mom. So that was fun. Then she left, and I ate my breakfast, and I can't even tell you how awesome it felt to eat.

Deniese telling me what to do.

My dad let me give him an injection.

Getting Diagnosed: Part 3

When I woke up the following day, my mom was in my room. "Hi, mom!" I said. She gave me a big hug. I talked to my parents for a few minutes about how I was feeling, when my grandparents arrived. They brought me a bouquet of cute pink flowers and talked to me about the previous events. I still didn't know what I had, but whatever it was, it was not fun. Then they left a while afterwards. Then, I just slept the whole day for the rest of the day, and that felt soooooo good! I felt like Sleeping Beauty, but minus the beauty, 'cause my hair looked like I tried surviving a zombie attack or something. The next morning, I woke up when my PA (Bill Martin) came into my room. He sat in a chair in the corner of the room and said, "So, how does it feel knowing that you have diabetes?" I was suddenly wide awake. "What? I have diabetes?" I exclaimed. Apparently my dad had told me the night before, but I was so out of it that I can't remember a word he said, so this was a huge surprise. He gave me a quick lesson on what diabetes was. He explained that I had an organ called the pancreas, which makes something called insulin. "Insulin makes sure that you don't have too much sugar in your blood. But for some reason that we don't know, little things called anti-bodies attacked your pancreas. Now your pancreas doesn't make insulin, so your body was trying to use fat instead of insulin to lower your blood sugar. That's why you got thinner," Bill explained. Then he talked to me about how to count carbohydrates (carbs) in my food. Carbs make my blood sugar go higher. Then he told me something so wonderful that I wanted to squeal with happiness: I got to order a breakfast. I had IVs in my arms that were giving me the nutrients food would have, but that's not nearly as awesome as actually eating! Right?

My mom came.  I slept and slept.

Groggy, but I wanted to talk to my sister.

More sleeping.

Snuggling with my dad.

So excited to order my breakfast!

It took forever for them to bring it, but it finally came!

Getting Diagnosed: Part 2

My dad laid out a blanket in the back seat and set me on top. Again, I fell asleep. Honestly, all this sleeping felt amazing. When I woke up, my dad was carrying me to a hospital. When it was time for us to see the doctors, he set me on one of those uncomfortable beds that hospitals have. A nurse came in (don't ask me what her name was) and asked me what my name was. "Gracie," I mumbled. "Good," she said, "Can you tell me when you were born?" "Day after Christmas, 2003," I replied. Then she kept asking me questions like "How are you feeling?" or "Where do you hurt?" and stuff like that. When she was done, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep (You'll hear me say that A LOT). All I can remember after that is doctors coming in and out, putting that really uncomfortable inflatable thingy on my arm, asking me more questions (mostly "when is your birthday") and basically doing the same things over again. I remember that my mom would always look at me with a worried face, but then I would just give her a weak smile to let her know I was OK. And then I fell asleep. Then, I remember waking up in an ambulance for 10 seconds with my dad right by my side, then sleeping. Then I woke up again, and I heard an airplane, but I was inside of it. My dad was right next to me. I looked up, grabbed his hand, and smiled. Once again, I fell asleep. I don't remember this, but then they moved me to an ambulance. When I woke up, I had no clue where I was. I looked to my left, and once again, my dad was right there by my side. When I asked my dad, he said we were finally in the hospital. "Where's mom?" I mumbled. "She'll be here tomorrow," he said, and he grabbed my hand. I smiled back at him. And I realized that when I would have hard times, smiling actually convinced me that everything would be alright.

Me right before I was life flighted to Spokane.  My body went into ketoacidosis.
I was wrapped in blankets 'cause I was so cold.

The med crew getting me on the plane.

Getting Diagnosed: Part 1

Hi, I'm Gracie, and I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes about 2 weeks ago. My family had been sick for the past week, and so we thought I just had the flu. And it seemed like it too, because I was throwing up, my stomach hurt, I had headaches, etc. But then, things just went downhill. I couldn't walk without wanting to collapse, I didn't eat, it hurt to just sit there, I couldn't stay awake, and people had to carry me places. It was terrible. So one night, my older sister carried me to my bed. I immediately fell asleep. A while after that, my next door neighbor woke me up. At first I was really confused, then I remembered he was a doctor, and also goes to my church. He gave me a blessing, which is a special prayer to bless and help me in my situation. Right after he left my room, I fell asleep. I was woken up a second time by my parents. My dad picked me up and said, "We're taking you to the hospital."

This is me the morning before things went downhill.  We thought I had the flu.

I needed help to move and I was starting to sleep a lot.  Can you see how skinny I am in this picture?