My daugher is a hero!

Where to begin! The last month has been CRAZY with lots of ups and downs. The first news that we received was that my mom has lymphoma. This was devastating news as she has already had to deal with the rotten disease (breast cancer) 10 years ago. She made it through surgery and a bone marrow test and has now started her chemotherapy treatment. So far she has done really well and we are hoping for great results. She will fight hard and we are proud of her.

The next news came two days ago when I took McCall to the doctor. I had noticed that she had lost 15 pounds in a couple of weeks and was concerned that this was not ok. We got right in to her pediatrician the next afternoon and after a couple of tests, found out that she has type 1 diabetes. As I sat there listening to the doctor, I was biting my cheek so hard so I wouldn't cry in front of my sweet McCall. This is an autoimmune disease affecting her pancreas and now it does not produce insulin. We met with the Humprey's Diabetes Center the next day and spent 2 1/2 hours being completely overwhelmed with information. McCall was so mature and sat there like a young lady and asked very important questions about her disease. She had already been online and read about diabetes and was very well prepared for the meeting. We learned how to take check her blood sugar - - and then did it. Kind of scary for her - - but once again, she did great. Towards the end of the appointment they needed to giver her insulin for the first time and that turned out to be quite traumatic. She was very scared (which is fine!!!) and I was scared too since I had to be the one to give it to her. She was crying a lot and I finally lost it myself. My heart was so broken for her and I just wanted to hold her and love her and make it all better. I didn't want to be the one to hurt her, even though I knew what I was doing was going to make her better. On top of all of this, Marc was out of town. We missed him and really wanted him to be there with us. McCall was pretty angry on the ride home. When we got home, it was time for her next insulin dose and we went through the same trauma this time. It was so hard to sit there and have to inject her while she is crying - - which made me cry again. She felt so bad and felt like it was her fault that I was so emotional. She kept telling me how sorry she was for making me cry!!! And she tells me thank you after every time I have to stick her. Even though she has been so grown up about the whole thing, she is definitely questioning why this is happening to her. Right now she has to test her blood sugar 4-6 times a day (finger stick to get blood drop) and has at least 4 insulin injections a day - - sometimes more if her sugars get too high. (As Ia am writing this, I have just checked her blood again and this time it is so off the charts, the meter just read "high" so I have to do it again for the 7th time today - - poor girl) She is still pretty nervous each time but she is so brave and is getting better and better. I just watch her in awe and am so thankful that she is my sweet daughter. Diabetes picked the wrong person to deal with - - because she will not let it get her down! I am so proud of her and her amazing strength. I really don't think I would be able to handle it as well as she has. She is her mother's hero!

Before her big appointment, McCall got the ROYAL TREATMENT! She started the day at Build-A-Bear and picked out a special friend to help her through her day. She picked out a Pink Hello Kitty and named her "HOPE". She dressed her in PJ's and a robe and has used her to practice giving insulin shots with the real needle.

Next we headed over to Paul Mitchell for a special princess pampering. The hair students were dressed up in evening gowns and McCall got an up-do, make-up and her fingernails polished. She looked so beautiful! They also gave her a crown and princess wand - - and she wore the whole princess regalia to her Dr. Appointment!

McCall and Hope at the Dr. Office, learning about Diabetes