COMFORT and SUPPORT - Gift of our Society.

As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it.
Mahatma Gandhi Indian ascetic & nationalist leader (1869 - 1948)

This is an email posting several years ago from my listserv. I have removed the names but the expressions are real.

Oh, Yes!
I don't know where to begin. I just finished reading every single
message on the site! I can't believe you are all out there! I am
so very thankful to Dr Prakasam for starting this group and to all
of you who have opened your hearts and lives to each other and to me
and my family. Of course I am very thankful to my husband who
finally managed to get me on line. (Something I never intended to
want or even need to do!)

January(date and year blanked) was the day my child, then 5 years 9 mo. Was diagnosed
with Type I diabetes. I felt so isolated and completely alone in
the world. I kept asking myself if anybody else was out there but
us. Was anybody else out there facing this crazy, awful, terrifying
thing that was suddenly our new life? Diabetes had drastically
downsized our world. It seemed as if we were all alone. Just us
and our diabetes.

Over the past six months life has gone,, as it usually does, and we
somehow managed, through a lot of tears and love and even laughter
too, to figure out, sort of, how to live with type I diabetes.
Every day still brings a new lesson and a new challenged. Friends
and family try to be helpful and understanding, bless their hearts,
but I still felt very alone. They didn't understand, they don't
understand. How can they? They don't live with it 24, 7, Spring,
Summer, Winter, Fall, no 2 weeks off for a vacation from it, day in
and day out. It is a constant. It is our life.

I have to admit wondering a few times how I would restrain myself
from ripping the head off of the next person,, who happened to be
non diabetic, with a non diabetic child, tell me "how easy diabetes
is to live with and control." Or the person who would tell
me "they could never prick their child's finger and give them a shot
every day, how could I do it?" As if I have a choice! No one
understands how I have to fight every day to keep from constantly
thinking about the long term complications of diabetes. They don't
understand how it can completely knock the wind out of me and make
my knees go weak. It terrifies me. Diabetes easy to control? It
is a constant balancing act. It is the hardest thing in our life,
and absolutely the most important. Doesn't anybody else understand
how desperate I am to learn a life time of knowledge about diabetes
and diabetes management, and everything that entails (pumping
included) overnight?

Yes, all of you do! I am so grateful to each and every one of you
and each and every message that was posted! I am overwhelmed with
all these emotions – joy ,sorrow, anger, frustration (at diabetes
not at any of you), happiness and holpfulness. As I read through
the messages I felt all of these emotions and so many more than I
can't even begin to identify. There were times when I couldn't
catch my breath and I'd start to cry because I felt so sad but then
I would read about a success and I'd cry from the sheer joy and hope
it brought me. I feel such a relief knowing I'm not alone. This
group is such a gift. , This website is heaven sent,; I know it in
my heart. You are all truly a blessing in my life. I cannot thank
you enough for just being out there and letting me know I'm not
alone.

From a mother...... This was a beautiful message posted few years ago which has touched me and has made me realize the importance of being an extended family member to each one of the families I am privileged to take care off......

More to come, Dream a lot, think creative, work hard and Succeed...