2 dates & locations: August 2nd in Redwood City and August 10th in Walnut Creek

College is a new adventure in itself. Add a little type 1 diabetes and poof you have a unique experience all in itself! As a 4th year at UC San Diego, it has been a blessing in disguise to have type 1 diabetes as it has introduced me to so many opportunities to get involved in the community and meet other type 1, 2, and 3’s.

Last summer, I attended the JDRF Bay Area College and Type 1 Diabetes program and took away so much information that I wish I had learned before I had left for college. This summer, I have the honor of joining the JDRF staff as the Summer Outreach Intern and planning the college program myself! The 2010 event was such a success that in 2011 we will host the program twice: Tuesday, August 2nd from 7:00-9:00pm in Redwood City AND Wednesday, August 10th from 7:00-9:00pm in Walnut Creek.

Topics will include everything from talking to roommates about diabetes, to strategies of seeking out the best campus health resources, to being on an athletic team, to so much more! Whether you are a high school student with type 1, heading to college this fall or a parent with questions of how to help your teen adjust to college life–this program is for you.

My hope is that you will walk away feeling, “Wow, I totally got this! College and diabetes…bring it on!”

Event Details

Tuesday, August 2 at 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Sequoia Healthcare District in Redwood City
FEATURED PANELIST:
Dr. Bruce Buckingham, MD, from Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
RSVP for this event on JDRF’s Social Hub >

Wednesday, August 10 at 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Sports Basement in Walnut Creek
FEATURED PANELIST:
Dr. Tariq Ahmad, MD from Children’s Hospital Oakland
RSVP for this event on JDRF’s Social Hub >

Cost: FREE! Snacks and refreshments will be provided
Contact: Leigh Mason, JDRF Outreach Intern,
lmasonjdrf@gmail.com or call (415) 597-6309

JDRF invites type 1 incoming college students, high school students and their parents to attend a very special program! A moderated panel of current college students and parents will share their stories and answer questions about living with diabetes at college.  Diabetes health care providers will also participate and be available for medical Q & A.

When:   Thursday, August 19, 2010
Time:    7 to 9 p.m.
Place:   JDRF downtown San Francisco office (49 Stevenson St. Ste. 1200)
Cost:     FREE!  Refreshments will be provided

Separate breakout sessions for parents and students, facilitated by the medical professionals, will give each the opportunity to voice questions or concerns to their peers.  The knowledgeable panel will ease the worries of both students and parents alike with their valuable insights into every topic imaginable, such as: dorm living and roommates, navigating new social situations, seeking out the best campus health resources — anything and everything a student needs to know to be prepared for a fun and healthy transition to college!

To RSVP or for more information contact Michelle Lee, JDRF Outreach Intern, at mlee.jdrf@gmail.com or call (415) 977-0360.

College is a strange, anxious, exhilarating time when you’re floating somewhere between dependence and independence, between high school and the intimidating “real world.” Everyone goes through some changes during the college years, and finding balance away from home can be a challenge for a person with type 1 diabetes (juvenile diabetes). Whether you are just beginning to prepare for college, or you’re currently in the thick of it, JDRF has resources to provide you with practical information and tips for dealing with the unique issues you’re facing.

Visit the JDRF International site for a topical articles >

The 2010  DTreat West Conference will be held at UC Berkeley June 4-6th and provides an opportunity for young adults (ages 18- 25) living with the challenge of type 1 diabetes to come together and talk through issues with both peers and professionals.

The cost to attend is only $25 and includes room, board and all conference fees (participants need to arrange their own transportation).

Click here to register online.  Space is very limited so don’t hesitate to sign-up if you would like to attend!

Download the printable brochure {PDF}.  Join the DTreat Facebook Group.

DTreat is a program specifically designed for young adult diabetics put on by the Diabetes Camp Leadership Council (DLead), a team of passionate leaders involved in the international diabetes community.  DLead is a sub-council of DECA, the Diabetes Education and Camping Association (DECA).

DTreat East will be held at Northeastern University Boston, May 28 – 30, 2010.

My son, Byron, just started his freshman year in high school.  He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six. With high school comes a flurry of information about the future: each grade impacts Byron’s future options; community service hours will help break a tie for a coveted spot in a college; start planning for college tours; selecting the best college and on and on.  It makes it difficult to live in the moment.  Let this kid – and his mom – simply adjust to being out of middle school, just entering his growth spurt, a bit insulin resistant, eats everything in sight, interested in girls, and growing up very quickly.

Byron, age 6, year of diagnosis

Now that high school has slapped me in the face and thrown me four years into the future, I am feeling a bit nervous.  Although college tuition is a bit daunting, that isn’t why I am tense.  Here are the things that keep me up at night. Will he have a doctor that is as helpful as the one he will have had since diagnosis?  Will he be able to find insurance? When he feels burnt out, who will listen to him and understand where he is coming from?  Who will understand that he isn’t being defiant when he won’t answer a question — rather, his sugar is low and he needs juice?  When he gets discouraged by the effort he puts into managing his diabetes because the results don’t look like any effort was made, who will be there to motivate him and cheer him on and to remind him that it is all worth it.  We will still be part of his team, but he will need more and where will he be able to turn for help?

For years we have found support through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  We have Walked each year only to meet new people who have become  part of our ever growing support network.  We have attended conferences presented by JDRF in collaboration with UCSF and left with useful information and greater hope for the future.  Byron has greatly benefited from the research funded by the JDRF as evidenced by the  continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that he happily wears. We figured out how to get his CGM paid through the JDRF website (www.curetype1.org).

Then there are the tireless volunteers, like me,  who recognize that their child will – in the blink of an eye – leave childhood with diabetes still in their life and then become an adult living with type 1 diabetes still in need of support, good information, and a place to go where people “get it”.  I am one of those volunteers and I am working hard to make sure the JDRF is not only a fit for our family at this moment in time, but in four years and beyond when Byron leaves home and starts exploring the world.

Volunteers and staff are working hard to create supper clubs, youth leadership programs, mentoring programs, social networks, tool kits, a website that provides reliable and current information.

Each year, there are five Walk to Cure Diabetes in the Greater Bay Area. Walks are a fun and easy way to start building your network and to understand the magic of the JDRF community.  Both staff and volunteers strive to make sure the Walks a place where children living with diabetes and their families can begin building their support team and that adults living with diabetes – whether diagnosed as a child or an adult – can do the same.  The Walk to Cure Diabetes works magic!

Here is what I see:  My son leaves home and begins to find his way in the world.  He finds a chapter of the JDRF wherever life takes him and he signs up for a walk.  With it Byron begins to develop his very own network that can carry him through the years of his life.  He won’t be alone. He will have options.  He will have support.  The JDRF will be there for him.

What about you?  What do you see?

–Priscilla Call Essert

Byron 8 years later and four years to go