ASHA PROFIND FOR DEMENTIA HOW TO

I have A LOT of big plans for WAD brewing right now, that I’m not able to talk about publicly just yet. Very cool… what’s next for the organization? We help those who feel alone in their chronic illness find hope and courage to live healthier and happier lives! The daily challenges of existing with this disease, as well as the emotional and financial toll it takes, can oftentimes result in a sense of defeat or isolation. We Are Diabetes also advocates for empowered living with type 1 diabetes. We at WAD offer unique resources designed specifically for the ED-DMT1 population, and monthly online support groups.

Commonly referred to by the acronym ED-DMT1, WAD offers one-on-one peer mentoring and referrals to credible providers and treatment centers across the U.S. We Are Diabetes (WAD) is a nonprofit organization primarily devoted to supporting type 1 diabetics who struggle with eating disorders. Later you started the We Are Diabetes group – can you share more about that? If I hadn’t had him there with me that day for support, I doubt I would have made it through those doors. He actually drove me to my eating disorder intake assessment appointment.

One of the most pivotal moments of my life (and my eating disorder recovery) was when I finally told my dad that I had been purposefully skipping my insulin for years. What was your personal experience with an eating disorder, and did you share it with your dad?įrom age 14 to 24, I struggled with an eating disorder known as “diabulimia.” By age 16 I wasn’t talking about my diabetes management with anyone, but I was especially avoidant of talking about my diabetes with my dad I was so ashamed by what I was doing and I felt like I had failed him.

ASHA PROFIND FOR DEMENTIA HOW TO

Once I was diagnosed with T1D, I actually felt proud to be more “like my dad.” He taught me how to be independent with my T1D management, and provided a perfect example of how to make diabetes work with your life vs. I was a “daddy’s girl” from the moment I was born. Talking about diabetes was as normal as putting your socks on before you put on your shoes! My dad is the most important person in my life. When my dad showed up for his physical he was told that his blood sugar was over 800 mg/dL and he was type 1 diabetic! He was told to go make an appointment with an endocrinologist immediately.ĭid you and your dad talk about diabetes a lot back then? He was very involved in protesting the war in Vietnam, but ended up being drafted! His family was horrified and my grandma said that she remembers “praying to the universe” while driving home one night that something would happen to prevent my dad from going to war. My dad was 20 when he was diagnosed with T1D in 1970, and his story is pretty interesting. How old was your dad when he was diagnosed? So I had a sort of “seamless” transition from being a “normal” kid, to a kid with type 1 diabetes. My dad took care of my diabetes for the first few years, but took every opportunity to teach me how to be independent with it as soon as I was at the age where I was being invited to sleepovers and going on class field trips. I knew that he took shots so doing something that HE did everyday made me feel special.Īfter that diabetes was just part of my life. I wasn’t thrilled about this, but my dad was and still is my ultimate hero. I have no memory of their conversation but once we got home my dad said I had to take a shot. I remember being in a doctor’s office with him (this doctor was actually his endocrinologist) and I remember my dad being sad, which I found strange at the time because my dad is usually a very upbeat person. So when I started wolfing down huge triple-decker peanut butter and banana sandwiches for my bedtime “snack” and getting up to pee every hour at night, he immediately knew what was going on. It was sometime close to Halloween (in roughly the early 90s), but I can’t remember the exact date and neither can my parents.Īctually my story is less dramatic than most, probably because my dad was diagnosed with T1D about two decades earlier. DM) Asha, can you please start by sharing your diagnosis story?ĪB) I was diagnosed when I was 5 years old.

Asha profind for dementia