I'm so proud of the folks here at juvenation. I bragged a little about what our community has been able to accomplish in the last couple years in a guest post I wrote on diabetesmine yesterday. You guys are CROWDSOURCING CARE and in my opinion the crowdsourcing kings and queens.
Did you know that your support and smarts have helped a young lady get back to diligent BG control after her turbulent teens?
Did you know some members have reported lower hemoglobin A1Cs after being members on juvenation- after following advice and getting reinforcement from their juvenation friends?
Did you know the community has rushed to the aid of a mom whose child was in the process of being diagnosed IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM?
Did you know that together we helped to avert suicide attempts from depressed PWDs THREE separate times. Literally, you guys are lifesavers!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
How has juvenation helped you? I'd love to hear about other stories like these from you guys. Please SHARE!
For me, Juvenation has been a lot about friendship. It's been easy to make friends here. Even though everything is via the internet, it makes me feel less alone. It's especially nice to be able to talk about diabetes stuff with people who understand diabetes stuff :o) But I also like that we can talk about more than just diabetes. Even though Juvenation is a diabetes forum, diabetes isn't the only focus which can be nice. Sometimes NOT talking about D for awhile is a nice escape.
Juvenation has also showed me how all those years I felt "alone" in my diabetes dealings, I really wasn't. This is a place for anyone to come to share stories, compare battle scars, and learn new information. I have gotten a lot out of Juvenation, and I hope I have helped others on their journey through the internet as well.
I think the best part about Juvenation is making people feel like "one of the guys." Pokes and shots and tubing and beeping devices are all part of the normal here. Instead of feeling like a weirdy, I feel like I'm at home here :o)
Thanks Red,this is really something to read ! I was just sending a friend a hello in conversations-did not take-but that's ok-will try again later...but I was telling this friend how I don't visit Juve. as often as I use to and had come today to answer an email .But my feeling for Juvenation have never wavered.I love Juvenation and came here as a parent that had held in for years pain and sadness over the fact that my 12 year old daughter had gotten type 1..I spoke hardly to anyone on how deep the pain was for me as a parent-not to be able to fix this.I felt tremendous guilt over the fact that my genes or something I may have done brought this into her life.I saw no way to run or escape from the situation.I became withdrawn and depressed..all the while doing my best not to show this to her....I don't know how I found Juve...I kind of feel it found me-and it gave me a platform to open up and and heal and vent.. to people who cared . They got it-they understood -a type 1 community-I could not believe it ! I have made long lasting friendships here that I am very thankful for....my daughter,thank God has handled having type 1 and all that goes with it..I am so proud of her and all she does to deal with d -One day we are going to get that cure -I feel it :) Thank You Juvenation -I Love You and thanks to all that work so hard to keep Juvenation here for us ..
Well, I found Juvenation not terribly long after I got diagnosed. I have one IRL friend with type 1, and she's been a great resource, but having a huge, diverse crowd of T1s to be there when I'm confused, scared, upset, or just sick of it has made a huge difference. I have zero doubt that I am better at my treatment because of Juvenation, not only because you're all a great source of information, but also because you are all a great source of encouragement and good examples.
I also love being able to talk to people who are now going through what I went through six months ago. I'm no expert, but I think "I've just been there, and here's what it was like for me and here's what I learned," can really help... I know it helped me, anyway!
So, I just joined yesterday, and it's already helping me. My husband and parents are wonderful and they understand as much as they can, but it's been a long time since I've had anyone with T1 to talk to. I was in a support group in high school, which was really helpful, but we all lost touch.
To be perfectly honest, I haven't been taking care of myself very well lately. A lot of eating like crap and just not trying. But in reading through posts on the site last night and this morning, I already feel better. I agree with C- it's great to have support from others who have the same "normal" as me. I feel so inspired I even found a logbook to start writing my sugars down!
I go to the endo next week, and I'm worried what my A1C will be, but whatever that number is, I know things will get better. Somewhere in a post someone wrote "I am not my A1C" (sorry, I can't remember who it was). I love that!
Anyways, thanks everyone for all the support already, and I'm excited to be able to support other people too!
Juvenation has been so helpful to me since my daughter's diagnosis. Having the perspective from other moms as well as diabetics dealing with this disease helps me to better understand what my girlie is going through and how I can best help her. Just having a place to come and vent is wonderful. My friends here know exactly what I'm going through. Even my husband doesn't really get it, and I can't vent to my friends who don't get it, and I don't want to dump my worries on my older kids, and I certainly don't want to freak Sarah out about diabetes - so being able to come here and talk through my fears is absolutely wonderful.