theo_pz

What an awesome, great, fabulous, wonderful time I had this weekend in St. Louis, MO. I attended a family retreat put on by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The event offered people associated with our disease MANY opportunities. There were tons of kids, parents, and loads of helpful information. If you are someone who has diabetes or someone who has a relationship with a person with diabetes then I would highly recommend becoming a part of your local JDRF chapter if you have not already. There are literally hundreds of them around the globe and the nation and you will get everything you need from them.

To me, the best most useful thing anyone could have this weekend was having other diabetics around. Not only is it extremely comforting to not feel like a minority, but it is amazing how much even the most seasoned person with diabetes can learn. It is so cool to be able to look around in a huge room filled with people and know each of them are on your team. And personally, the most enjoyable experience for me was having the opportunity to reach out to the kids.

I was scheduled to speak with a large group of 8-12 year-olds. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous when I walked into the room. All I could feel was about 100 pairs of eyes on me. But once I got started and after I had them doing a bunch of exercises things went really well. After the activities it was time for a little sit-down talk. I explained to the crowd of kiddo's all the important things about taking care of their diabetes and especially the importance of exercise. It was amazing, emotional, and one of the greatest feelings of my entire life.

I made a couple new little buddies and I will be staying in touch with them helping them control their diabetes. These kids are very special people and they deserve all the extra help they can get.

I want to say what's up to my man Konor and all my little peeps that I ran into this weekend!

Thanks again JDRF and to everyone who came this past weekend! -Andy