I figured since I mentioned the upcoming JDRF Vision Gala in last nights blog, I would take a few moments to tell you about Sloan's life as a diabetic. I am so used to the daily regiment of shots and finger pricks that I sometimes forget my child has a diffrent day than most other children her age.
Sloan was just 4 years old when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabeties, on December 16, 2004. We were supposed to fly home to see my folks for Christmas but that just wasn't ment to be. Her keytones were very high and her sugar was well over 475. Once some more blood work was taken and her diagnosis confirmed I was in shock. She spent 5 days in the hospital while doctors and nurses showed us how to manage this life altering disease. When we finally got home I felt like the world was coming to an end and life would never be the same. The world didn't come to an end, however life has returned to "our version" of normal. 5,840 is the number of shots Sloan has taken over the past four years. 8,760 is the number of times Sloan has pricked her fingers over the past four years to test her sugar. A little hard to wrap your mind around considering most kids only have to have one or two shots a year. There is so much more that comes with this disease. There are the food issues, mood swings, and the motherly guilt to deal with also. Sloan is a brave little girl. She can do what everyone else can do. She just has diabeties. The awesome thing is now she knows how to do her own shots at school. She also does all of her own prick tests. She is more aware of lows (we are working on the highs). Sloan is an amazing and beautiful little girl. I just adore her. It still touches my heart that because of this experience, as a mother I saw so many blessings come our way. It is so true that when one door closes the lord always opens another. I experienced some of the most amazing outpouring of love and kindness durring the time Sloan was diagnosed.
The finished product.
The painting of Sloan and I that hangs in the girls room now.
These are the kind of tacky gold frames I am trying to find. They can be any shape or size, large or small. If you know where I can find some please leave a comment. The large oval frame came from a dear friend and the small oval frame came from a thrift store in San Diego.
The idea. I sketched this when Zoe was little.
The finished painting up close. I am going to call it "Every little thing is going to be all right". After a Bob Marley song. Its one of Sloans favorite songs and Bob Marley is her favorite musician. This will go on their wall with the other painting I did of Sloan and I.
