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The Building Trades and D.A.D.'s Day
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The Building Trades North American Unions have committed to helping fund research to find a cure for diabetes. All around the country this June they are rallying for the cause - go Dads!
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Portland's Father of the Year Awards - American Diabetes Association
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In June, the ADA celebrated Portland area fathers making a big difference in the local community. This year's winners include an impressive line up of a t1d attorney, the President of Fred Meyer, President of the Trail Blazers, and more!
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Shakespeare and Diabetes -
Midsummer June 21
| Is it at all possible that Shakespeare and diabetes could somehow go together? While he might not have known about diabetes, Shakespeare did identify some of the hazards of sugar. Read more!
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Kissing & Diabetes
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These two subjects are not usually linked, but can be found in the title of a new book where young author Quinn Nystrom talks about her family's multiple diabetes journeys. Our friends at DiabetesMine share about Quinn's background along with a book review.
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Attending College with Diabetes
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| As high school graduations occur, thoughts turn to college. Peruse the list of some of the known organizations who offer diabetes-related scholarships!
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Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar or brown sugar substitute
1/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 table spoons granulated sugar or sugar substitute blend
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a mini doughnut pan with cooking spray.**
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, brown sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture; stir until well mixed and smooth.
3. Spoon batter into a large resealable plastic bag. Using scissors, cut off a corner; squeeze batter into prepared pan, filling each indent about two-thirds full. Bake about 8 minutes or until doughnuts are nearly firm when lightly pressed. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 3 minutes; turn out doughnuts onto rack.
4. In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Dip warm doughnuts into sugar mixture, turning to coat. Makes 24 mini doughnuts (3 doughnuts per serving)
Enjoy!
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I Chose My Path ... to Health
By Nichole Casta�eda
The scariest words I had ever heard were: "Your A1C is high enough that I'm telling you you're what we call pre-diabetic; if you continue on this path, you will become a type 2 diabetic and will be dependent on medications to regulate your blood sugar". I left my annual doctor's appointment in 2012 terrified. I knew I had to do something to change the trajectory of my health.
Motivation
Watching my husband, a type-1 diabetic, check his blood sugar 3-4 times a day and inject himself with insulin; the fear he faces when his sugars go too low; or the agitation he feels when they're too high is painful as a spouse. Yet, here I was, allowing my bad habits to create such an unhealthy lifestyle; I was putting myself in the same situation by my own choices. I knew I had to do something, but I had tried unsuccessfully numerous times. I felt maybe I wasn't strong enough, or that I would fail yet again.
My thoughts went to my daughter. It had just been she and I for many years before I met my husband and his daughter and we had created a loving, blended family together. My daughter relied upon me as her sole "parent", the person who needed to be there for her as I had always been. What if I missed the things she was so excited to have me bear witness to? Her college graduation, her wedding, having her own family one day... how could I knowingly put myself in a position to potentially miss those things?
"...my thoughts again turned to all that I would miss,
the things I so longed to see for those I loved so much."
How could I put myself in a position to not be there for my husband and new step-daughter when I knew that they, too, needed me. This is what pushed me, motivated me and helped me make new, better choices. It was a struggle, the hardest part being the consistency. But any time I felt the temptation of my old habits, my thoughts again turned to all that I would miss, the things I so longed to see for those who I loved so much.
Empowerment
Losing nearly 90 lbs, I am creating a new life where I no longer have the worry of medications, diabetes, high cholesterol, or even the plaguing fear of a potential heart attack or stroke. Through my new habits, I've helped my family also learn to make new choices. My step-daughter lost an astounding 47 lbs through the changes I made at home; my daughter now creates healthy low glycemic meals for herself and her two college roommates; and my husband monitors his sugars better than he ever has. Through eating low glycemic, nutritionally packed meals every 2-3 hrs, we all keep our blood sugar constant and level, rather than having the big highs and lows from not eating often enough or having big starchy meals. We stick mostly to a diet we call "lean & green", lots of veggies and lean protein which keeps us satisfied and full! Snacks are now a handful of almonds vs. the old candy bar. My husband has been able to reduce the amount of insulin he takes for his t1d just by the change in diet!!
Being surrounding by loving friends and family who constantly support and encourage us to make healthy choices has been so helpful. The support we give one another as a family has been key; even our 15 yr. old has asked us to remove things from the house that she knows are "trigger foods" for her. By empowering herself to make healthy choices and view the food she eats as fuel for her body, she is learning how to make those same habits as an adult.
Choices
I know this will be a lifelong battle of choices. I know that I won't always make the perfect decision. But I also know that I will never allow myself to go back to where I was before: a place of fear and uncertainty in my health; a place where I allowed my emotions to dictate my choices. Today, I make choices based on my newfound knowledge. I stop, think about my actions and the long term effect, and challenge whether it supports the life that I have worked so hard to create. Then I choose the option that best supports what I really want, what we all want... a long, happy, healthy life.
Nichole Casta�eda lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and enjoys hiking and spending time with her family and friends. She is a Certified Health Coach with Take Shape for Life, assisting clients across the U.S. reach their optimal health goals. For more information or to learn more about Nichole, please visit:
NOTE: CDF does not endorse any specific commerical health programs, but does support individuals seeking health as is appropriate for their own lifestyle.
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Where Are They Now?...
John Forsi...
Have you wondered what your favorite counselor does for their day job? Or, perhaps you've lost touch with a CDF pal and would love to know what they're up to. Search no more! You can find out here in the alumni spotlight "Where Are They Now?"... Oh, and please remember to email and let us know what you are up to so we can feature YOU too!
1. How many years did you attend camp and what was the last year that you attended?
I attended the camp for 6 years, my last year was in 2005.
2. What is your favorite camp memory?
Playing against Chris Dudley one on one for a few minutes! Definitely got blocked a few times!
3. Did you learn anything at camp to improve your diabetes care?
Absolutely! The camp really helped me to look at diabetes from a different angle as far as controlling your health and your life. If you do your best, and check your sugars and eat healthy, the sky is the limit for who you are as a person. The camp test our sugars regularly and it influenced me a lot to be a better, healthier person overall.
4. Do you stay in contact with anyone you met while attending camp?
I do! I have several friends on Facebook who I have recently been in contact with.
5. Do you have any advice for present or future campers?
Really take time to learn about how to keep your health at a high level. Just like basketball, hard work and practice make you better. Your health is what keeps you going and as diabetics, it is imperative to keep your health first. Also enjoy every minute you are at camp, because you are surrounded by people who are in the same boat health-wise and who you can relate to with a lot more clarity.
6. Tell us about yourself since your camper days...
I recently have returned to college. I moved from Alaska to Arizona and am studying Project Management. I have a job offer in Australia that I plan on taking once I graduate which should be in approximately 2 years. I am also doing construction and guiding brown bear hunts in Alaska in the summer to pay for school.
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Sincerely,
Chris Dudley and
Chris Dudley Foundation |
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