My Homie-G's
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Back to school. Joyous...homework, tests, etc. High school actually isn't as bad as I expected. MY locker is miles away from anything except lunch, so I'm gonna ask if I could get a new one. *fingers crossed* As of right now, it's 428. Drop a note in it if you get a chance. My class schedual is as follows: English 1 Honors, Biology Honors, Gym/Career Explorations, World History 1877-Present, lunch, Geometry Honors, Spanish 1, Band.
Does anyone have any ideas for someone I could go to Homecoming with? I'd really like to go with a date (a guy), but I don't know who. All options will be considered.
Our volleyball team needs some serious help as far as teamwork goes. Our coach expects so much out of us, and I don't know if I can do all that she's asking. She expects me to leave volleyball at 5:30, eat, change, and be back at band by 6:00. If we leave practice early on a day that there's a home football game due to band, she says that we're "not excused." It's crazy. By the way, we lost our first match.My goals for this fall are as follows: Get at least a 4.35 GPA, learn the band field drills, last the season in volleyball, make the Academic Challenge team, raise at least $5,000 for the Walk to Cure Diabetes (e-mail me if you wanna join my team), make some new friends in addition to my current friends, figure out some things about my current friends, get a date for Homecoming, and get a serious boyfriend. It would be so awesome to have a boyfriend. I'm trying to be patient, but it's awfully hard sometimes. I'm keeping my options open for now, although I have a few guys I'm interested in. We'll see how it goes, I guess.
Here's my letter for the Walk to Cure Diabetes, by the way:
Diabetes is a fact of life for my family and me, and the Walk to Cure Diabetes is an important event in it. My computer and I are ready to give you a brief update on my life and the role diabetes plays in it and to ask for your donation to Kelsey's Team.
Hard for my parents to believe, but I am now a freshman in high school and the days/nights are consumed with classes, marching band/football games, volleyball practice/games, work, and social/family activities. No complaints here, though. Being physically active helps to lower my "numbers," but I do have to be careful not to go too low, and I also must avoid having my infusion site pulled out of my skin during the activity.
My infusion site is connected to the insulin pump which I started using last August. At least once every three days I insert a plastic catheter into my stomach using an introductory needle. Next I remove the needle and tape the plastic connector to my skin. A long piece of plastic tubing is inserted into the connector and, on the other end, into the insulin cartridge in the pump. Through the tubing, I am given a basal rate of insulin every hour. For everything I eat, I must try to estimate the carbohydrates and take a bolus for them, usually 2-5 extra units of insulin. When my bloodsugar is too high, I take an additional bolus. I still prick my finger about 5-6 times a day to test my bloodsugar and assure that the pump is functioning properly. The pump is great, but it still has the potential to malfunction and, unfortunately, it isn't a cure. "Lows" are particularly worrisome for my parents and doctor. I try to keep my bloodsugar numbers in the normal range to avoid the complications that come with diabetes, but with my schedule, stress, and just being a teenager, sometimes it is quite tricky.
Complications--scary stuff. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, and non-traumatic amputations, and one of the leading causes of nerve damage, stroke, and heart attacks. As a diabetic, I am two to four times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than someone without this disease. Even if I manage to avoid those complications, my life expectancy is still approximately 15 years shorter than the average person's.
Despite these horrible complications, which I would rather not think about, there is hope. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International is working diligently to find a cure for me and the 16 million other Americans with this disease. It is recognized as the leading non-profit funder of diabetes research. Of every dollar raised, 87 cents is applied directly to research for a cure--an extremely high percent.
Once again, my family and I are participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on September 20. Our team of family and friends, captained by me, has set an ambitious fundraising goal of $5,000 this year. This goal can only be achieved with your help. I hope that you will give or send to our home your tax-deductible donation no later than Tuesday, September 16. Checks should be made payable to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Again, I would like to emphasize that any contribution, large or small, cash or check, will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for helping us fund research to find a cure for diabetes!
Like it? I wrote it meself! :-)
