Stacey Simms' parenting philosophy is "not perfect, but safe and happy." Does that make her the world's worst diabetes mom? Some people on social media thought so. But her stories and the lessons they impart show that diabetes laughs in the face of perfection. Raising a happy and healthy child with type 1 diabetes, as well as any siblings, requires flexibility, planning, and a great sense of humor above all else. It's a journey full of challenges, but you are not alone!
Valuable tips, tricks, and advice from a veteran young adult with Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be a daunting diagnosis, especially for a young kid or a teen. Patrick McAllister knows. Diagnosed with T1D at age twelve, McAllister’s life changed forever, and he faced an uncertain future of insulin shots, diet regulations, and high school. If only I had a roadmap, he thought. So, years after he learned things the hard way, he decided to write one. Whether it is managing mood swings, hormones, or blood sugar levels, Highs & Lows of Type 1 Diabetes is the ultimate teenager’s and young adult’s handbook for surviving, thriving, and flourishing with T1D during one of the most terrifying, yet exciting, phases of your life. Many think of T1D as a scary disease that is sporadic and uncontrollable, but after eight years of dealing with the literal and figurative highs and lows of T1D, McAllister has learned that it is more a lifestyle change. These pages detail a framework for every situation you could possibly imagine involving T1D, from coming home from the hospital after your diagnosis to preparing to leave your nest for freshman year at college. Learn how to: Count carbohydrates, pump insulin like a pro, and correct irregular blood sugar levels Tell your friends, get good grades, and survive school Play sports with the right game-plan Navigate sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll And more! Type 1 diabetes stinks, but you don’t have to go through it blind and alone! Some have learned it the hard way, but Highs & Lows of Type 1 Diabetes will ensure that you will take control of your T1D diagnosis, conquer your adolescent years, and live a healthy and fulfilling life.
Part memoir, part sports adventure, Not Dead Yet tells the inspirational story of Phil Southerland's battle with Type 1 diabetes and how from diagnosis to sheer determination, he beat all odds and turned his diagnosis and his passion for cycling into a platform. From leading a Race Across America to managing a world-class cycling program, Southerland's journey on and off the bike has helped changed the way the world views diabetes. When Phil Southerland was seven-months-old, he lost ten pounds in a week, his body was limp and his breathing slowed to what his mother called a "death rattle." Rushing him to the ER, she was informed that tiny Phil displayed the youngest case of diabetes on record in the world at that time. Blindness, kidney failure and death were all predicted for him by age twenty-five. Decades later, not only is Phil alive and well but as the founder of Team Type 1, he and his team of championship cyclists — many of them diabetics—have become health and fitness role models for people the world over. Together, they took on some of the most challenging endurance events in the world, including winning the Race Across America—a grueling 3,000-mile endurance competition—twice. Today, Phil continues to lead Team Type 1 as CEO. Not Dead Yet is Phil's powerful story: his account of his relationship with his mother, and how she struggled to keep him alive; growing up quickly in the New-Old South of the 1990s, learning at the tender age of 6 years old how to check his glucose and give himself injections; of how he fulfilled his dream of becoming a professional athlete using his team and the bike as a platform, inspiring thousands of individuals and families around the world who are battling diabetes to not just chase, but catch, their dreams.
Uses a simple story about a young boy at school to present information about diabetes. A young boy describes what it is like to have diabetes, how it makes hiim feel, and how it can be treated and controlled.
The compelling story of heroic women across the country who, despite personal trauma, found grace in difficult times and transformed their personal adversity into pay-it-forward wins by founding nonprofits that help and sustain others, mother to mother. In the midst of environmental chaos, economic uncertainly, and an endless array of health issues, mothers remain the backbone of our families and exponentially impact their communities. Such is the case of the brave women featured in A Mother’s Grace: Healing the World One Woman at a Time. Author Michelle Moore is founder and executive director of Mother’s Grace, an award-winning nonprofit organization that supports thousands of mothers and their children in crisis each year. She endured overwhelming trauma as a young girl when her mother died suddenly, and later struggled with divorce, cancer, and a son with juvenile diabetes. She begins by recounting how women in her circle of mom friends helped heal her childhood wounds and empowered her to claim victories in adulthood. Along the way, through divine intervention, she meets the ten remarkable women featured here whose personal tragedy-to-victory stories changed her forever. Readers seeking guidance during the challenging times we all face in life will find inspiration and hope as they meet mothers who have lived through dire poverty, the death of a child, a spouse’s suicide, terminal childhood cancer, and devastating natural disaster. The poignant and powerful stories of how each found the grit and grace to not only defeat these challenges but also turn them around to impact the world is enlightening and motivating. Finally, Moore calls readers to rise from the depths of their challenges and gives them the tools to do so. Lessons from the moms in this book provide specific life strategies anyone can use to improve her situation and the world around her—one woman at a time.
Sixteen-year-old Lucy Szabo is Undead -- at least according to her own theories about vampirism. Lucy believes that the first vampires -- with their pale skin, long teeth, and uncontrollable thirst -- were dying diabetics. And she should know. She's a diabetic herself. When Lucy becomes involved with Draco -- a self-proclaimed "real" vampire she meets in the Transylvania Internet chat room -- her world begins crashing down around her. Caught up in late-night parties and Goth culture, she begins to lose control of her grades, relationships, and health. Lucy realizes she needs to make some important choices, and fast. But it may already be too late.
A New York Times Notable Book The shocking truth about postwar adoption in America, told through the bittersweet story of one teenager, the son she was forced to relinquish, and their search to find each other. “[T]his book about the past might foreshadow a coming shift in the future… ‘I don’t think any legislators in those states who are anti-abortion are actually thinking, “Oh, great, these single women are gonna raise more children.” No, their hope is that those children will be placed for adoption. But is that the reality? I doubt it.’”[says Glaser]” -Mother Jones During the Baby Boom in 1960s America, women were encouraged to stay home and raise large families, but sex and childbirth were taboo subjects. Premarital sex was common, but birth control was hard to get and abortion was illegal. In 1961, sixteen-year-old Margaret Erle fell in love and became pregnant. Her enraged family sent her to a maternity home, where social workers threatened her with jail until she signed away her parental rights. Her son vanished, his whereabouts and new identity known only to an adoption agency that would never share the slightest detail about his fate. The adoption business was founded on secrecy and lies. American Baby lays out how a lucrative and exploitative industry removed children from their birth mothers and placed them with hopeful families, fabricating stories about infants' origins and destinations, then closing the door firmly between the parties forever. Adoption agencies and other organizations that purported to help pregnant women struck unethical deals with doctors and researchers for pseudoscientific "assessments," and shamed millions of women into surrendering their children. The identities of many who were adopted or who surrendered a child in the postwar decades are still locked in sealed files. Gabrielle Glaser dramatically illustrates in Margaret and David’s tale--one they share with millions of Americans—a story of loss, love, and the search for identity.
For readers of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Bringing Up Bebe, a mother’s unflinching memoir about helping her seven year-old daughter lose weight, and the challenges of modern parenting. When a doctor pronounced Dara-Lynn Weiss’s daughter Bea obese at age seven, the mother of two knew she had to take action. But how could a woman with her own food and body issues—not to mention spotty eating habits—successfully parent a little girl around the issue of obesity? In this much-anticipated, controversial memoir, Dara-Lynn Weiss chronicles the struggle and journey to get Bea healthy. In describing their process—complete with frustrations, self-recriminations, dark humor, and some surprising strategies—Weiss reveals the hypocrisy inherent in the debates over many cultural hot-button issues: from processed snacks, organic foods, and school lunches to dieting, eating disorders, parenting methods, discipline, and kids’ self-esteem. Compounding the challenge were eating environments—from school to restaurants to birthday parties—that set Bea up to fail, and unwelcome judgments from fellow parents. Childhood obesity, Weiss discovered, is a crucible not just for the child but also for parents. She was criticized as readily for enabling Bea’s condition as she was for enforcing the rigid limits necessary to address it. Never before had Weiss been made to feel so wrong for trying to do the right thing. The damned if you do/damned if you don’t predicament came into sharp relief when Weiss raised some of these issues in a Vogue article. Critics came out in full force, and Weiss unwittingly found herself at the center of an emotional and highly charged debate on childhood obesity. A touching and relatable story of loving a child enough to be unpopular, The Heavy will leave readers applauding Weiss’s success, her bravery, and her unconditional love for her daughter. Advance praise for The Heavy “Have you ever been ‘that mother’? You know, the one who others criticize or question? If so, then you know what incredible courage and daring it can take to raise a child in a way that doesn't always meet other people’s expectations. Dara-Lynn Weiss is inspirational for her sheer will, her unwavering dedication, and her willingness to take accountability for her own actions. The Heavy is a stark look at imperfect parenting—and why our mistakes make us better parents.”—Christine Carter, author of Raising Happiness “Dara-Lynn Weiss had to defy her child’s school, the judgments of other parents, and our fast food culture to rescue her daughter from the epidemic of obesity. Parents should see this as an inspiration—and a wake-up call.”—Amy Dickinson, “Ask Amy” advice columnist and author of The Mighty Queens of Freeville “The Heavy should be required reading for every parent because it tackles—with refreshing honesty—that universal question we’ll all face: how to do what’s best for our children, even when the kids resist our efforts and society judges our approach. Dara-Lynn Weiss has written a brave book and started a crucial and overdue national conversation.”—Abigail Pogrebin, author of One and the Same and Stars of David
The Grief Handbook will take you by the hand and offer empathy and compassion, helping you through what can feel like the worst days of your life. Bridget McNulty lost her mum suddenly. She couldn't find the support that she needed in the rawness of her immediate grief, and the loneliness felt profoundly shocking. The Grief Handbook weaves her personal experience with expert psychological insights and practical advice, to enable you to navigate your grief in your own way. There is no one-size-fits-all recovery process for bereavement. Understanding that each experience of grief is unique, you can stop worrying about how you should be feeling. This interactive journal offers you room to explore your feelings at your own pace, helping you not to shy away from the enormity of your heartbreak. To be able to move through grief we need to understand our emotions, tune into our needs and know that what we are feeling is normal. Grief isn’t something to “get over”, but a loss to honour and live with. This gentle book shows us how
