Another Pretty Great Year

After doing a look back at 2017 last January, I think I'll make it an annual tradition.  It’s amazing how much happens over the course of a year…and equally amazing how much of it you forget until you try to remember. 

 

What happened in 2018?  Some things are easy to remember.  Mom and I took our annual vacation, this year going back to our usual destination in Las Vegas.  We eat well, have the occasional cocktail, see a show, and this year the slots played nice with mom a few times!  I made a bunch of trips up to Michigan to see my family this year, including the fall trip to see my nephew in the school musical.  Next year when he hits high school the schedule will change but I still expect to be there!

Sports were a big part of the year, as always.  I saw a ton of Monsters games, met a lot of other fans and accumulated a bunch of player jerseys that I really don’t need but always wind up wanting.  I didn’t make it to Little Caesars Arena yet to see the Red Wings, but checked out the outside on a trip to Detroit to see the Tigers play.  I was there on a dream trip to see Alan Trammel’s #3 be retired, and had the chance to meet him and get a ball autographed.  No Tigers fan will ever forget Tram and 1984, and it was a thrill.  I mostly didn’t get teary, but it took a fight!

My friend and I successfully completed our fourth half marathon, though what I thought were shin splints turned out to be compartment syndrome and limited me horribly.  It’s still an issue, but after working with a physical therapist I’ve changed my gait and have every intention of finishing race #5 in the spring.  I saw a Cirque show here in Cleveland, another bunch of great concerts including Pentatonix, and I was mesmerized watching John Williams conduct the Cleveland Orchestra for highlights of his most memorable movie scores.

I saw the Gulf of Mexico from Biloxi and walked past the markers describing some of the incredible destruction left by Katrina.  I got to go through the Star Wars costume exhibit in Detroit.  I dog sat for 2 sweet girls, and carried the American flag out on the ice at the Q.  I got to eat my dad’s “famous” French toast (it should be!) and see friends I’ve had for years but still don't see nearly often enough.

What happened with diabetes?  I changed my long lasting insulin at the insurance company’s demand, I upgraded my Dexcom from the G5 to the G6, and added an Apple watch to monitor my blood sugar without touching my phone.  I got my A1c under 5% and kept it there at both of my endo appointments.  I wrote 13 blog posts on topics including the problems with my GP (The Bad Doctor and Correlation is Not Causation), why I don’t think that I’m fighting against Type 1 (I’m Not a Warrior) and the story about how lucky I got when I was diagnosed with T1D (My Diaversary).  I participated in the JDRF Type One Nation Summit and started getting involved in planning the 2019 version too.

What’s up for 2019?  That’s anyone’s guess.  But if my legs cooperate and my friend recovers well from recent knee surgery, we’ll be back for the fifth iteration of our half marathon tradition.  I’d like to try again to see a Wings game in Detroit and definitely another Tigers game.  I’m going to celebrate the 5^th anniversary of being diagnosed with Type 1, but I don’t know what that will look like yet.  I’m going to keep trying to dedicate more time and attention to this blog and my Facebook page, and to raising T1 awareness.  I’m pretty sure I’ll have fun along the way, whatever this year brings.  Oh, and I said last year that I wanted to go ice skating.  That was a fail for 2018 that I fully intend to rectify in 2019.  I’ll probably post evidence once I make that happen, so be on the lookout!  If I think of it I'll be sure to wear one of my T1D shirts!

It’s been another great year, and I continue to be grateful for those of you who pop in to see what’s going on in my life…whether with T1D or otherwise.   Over 800 times you clicked into these blogs posts, you checked out the links on my Facebook page and encouraged me to keep sharing my story.  THANK YOU.  Mom and Dad, I’m glad you keep reading too. J  Happy New Year!

Pictures left to right and top to bottom:

• Mom and I gorged on Ben & Jerry's in Vegas
• Meeting Alan Trammell
• Dog sitting for Molly and Gracie
• The new Dexcom G6
• After half marathon #4.  Next year I'm putting the Dex on the front somewhere...
• John Williams!!!
• He's not so intimidating now, is he?  Star Wars costume exhibit.
• My game worn Nathan Gerbe jersey from "faux back" night
• Gulf of Mexico from behind the hotel in Biloxi
• My sister's doodle...she's the only family member who poses for me!

A Year Full of Highlights

I don’t know that I’ve ever consciously done this before, but with the new year upon us I decided to take a look back at 2017 before looking forward to 2018.  It was a busier year than I realized once I started scrolling through my photos and I think this is something I’ll start trying to do every year.

What did I do this year?  For starters I spent a week at Disney World with my mom celebrating our birthdays.  We take a trip together every year and this was our second time at Disney.  On our first trip we had a breakfast at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and I made it my goal to stay there when we went back so that mom could go out on a balcony every morning to watch the animals.  We weren’t disappointed!

Sports were a big part of the year.  Growing up in Detroit I became a Red Wings fan in high school.  2017 was the last year for the team to play at Joe Louis Arena, and a friend took me to see one last game there…my first since I was in college.  Early in the baseball season, we went to see the Tigers play the Indians in Cleveland.  Detroit got the win that day and gave me completely unwarranted optimism for the season ahead.  Of course there were plenty of Monsters games through the year too, including free glass seats behind the goal for a game which were outstanding!  At the end of the 2016-2017 season the casino downtown held a photo contest to give away 3 signed goalie sticks from the Calder Cup winning team the previous year.  My friend had a great idea for how we should pose and she won!  That stick is one of my prized possessions and hangs in my living room where I can look at it daily.

There were plenty of shows and events through the year too.  I saw the Avatar Cirque du Soleil show and more concerts than I’ve seen in years thanks to a ticket sale promo in the spring, including one combining Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Indigo Girls.  I finished my third half marathon, and we signed up to do our fourth next year.  I visited Alabama for the first (and last) time and New Orleans for the first (and hopefully not last) time.  I had the privilege of seeing an inspirational Tuskegee Airmen speak one afternoon at work.  I spent time with close friends that I don’t see nearly often enough.  And I visited my family in Michigan to see my nephew compete in the “Battle of the Books” and sing in “Bye Bye Birdie.”

It was a good year for my Type 1, too.  My 2 visits to the endocrinologist brought new record low a1c results of 5.1 and 5.4%.  I volunteered to be a mentor to newly diagnosed adults…though it appears many of them are as reluctant to ask for help as I was.  I shared 16 blog posts that included sharing the horror and triumph of an insulin overdose, showing the 248 needles and 292 test strips I used in a month, and explaining why the ongoing health care debate scares me.  I posted 5 days in a row during my first ever Diabetes Blog Week, and talked about my theory on a potential cause for my diagnosis.  Sadly, the T1D community and the world lost Mary Tyler Moore, who like me was diagnosed as an adult.  She was the International Chairman of JDRF for over 30 years and a strong voice advocating for Type 1 awareness and research. 

What’s coming in 2018?  That fourth half marathon for sure, though my friend and I both have some serious work to do if we want to set a new record!  I’d like to go ice skating this year, I’ve been thinking about it recently and I’d love to get back on the ice.  We’re talking about another trip to Detroit to see a Red Wings game, this time at the new Little Caesars Arena.  More time with my family, and less time saying “we should get together more often” to friends.  In the T1D space, I want to maintain my a1c below 5.5 and maybe bring it down further.  Though saying it is meaningless without follow through, I’d like to spend more time blogging and sharing T1 news on my Facebook page.  I’m also looking for more ways to get involved with JDRF, but I’m not sure what that looks like yet. 

2017 was a good year and I’m grateful to every one of you that has joined me along the way.  There were over 1,200 views of the posts I wrote this year, which is pretty amazing considering I expected just a few people to tag along – and 2 of them I call Mom and Dad!  Thank you all for being engaged, thank you for supporting me and thank you for being part of my life.  Happy New Year!

Clockwise from the upper left:

1. Epcot with Mom
2. Waiting to get into Joe Louis Arena
3. Bourbon Street in New Orleans
4. Progressive Field for Tigers vs. Indians
5. Running the 50/50 for JDRF at the Cleveland Monsters
6. Tuskegee Airman Dr. Harold Brown
7. Cleveland Rite Aid half marathon medal
8. Signed Cleveland Monsters goalie stick
9. Monsters glass seats behind the goal