A mix of photography, recipes, personal thoughts, faith, and lots of family stuff, but not necessarily in that order.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Halloween still came despite Type 1 diabetes...

5 months ago the word Halloween brought tears to my eyes...
(still does if I think about it too much) 
Our sweet grandson Carson was diagnosed with Type1 Diabetes, and at the time 
candy seemed to be a curse word. 
Not that candy and Halloween are two things we can't live without but yes,  
 it really would be easier if there were no such things in Carson's world. 
I know, I know, it's not ALL about him!
(but it kind of is...for us, for Carson, and his family).

OK, that takes me to 5 months later...
Halloween came despite Carson's diagnosis of T1 diabetes.
So we have learned more about this disease, 
things aren't quite as scary as they were 5 months ago, 
and we've learned to look for the positive things, for Carson's sake.

I decided this year to bring Carson (and Audrey) an alternative,
 non-traditional Halloween treat bag
Low carb snacks, and other fun things.... they loved it.
I thought it might ease the disappointment of not being able to eat 
endless amounts of candy like kids do after they get home from getting their BIG STASH!
Here's the thing... (look at that face)
Carson was NOT SAD about not being able to eat endless amounts of candy...
Credit goes to his Mom & Dad who prior to Halloween night 
set the rules of one piece of candy a day.
So THAT was the expectation.

My daughter found this awesome list of popular candies and their carbohydrates counts!
Carson gets to have two 15 carb snacks a day, so as you can see he has choices....yippee

It's still hard... I'm not gonna lie, We still struggle with all of it! 
 Type1 diabetes is not going away but we can always have hope,
 we pray for advances in research and a miracle.
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month
and Blue it the color that represents the cause.
Here's what makes it easier....
Carson is an amazing little boy who is a hero in the eyes of his grandparents and family.
He is learning about diabetes right along with the rest of us. 
He is young and moldable, this is his new normal, and he is doing wonderfully. 
So the dreaded holiday was a hit, we were told that Carson was at the head of the pack, 
running from door to door, happy as can be. 
When we came over to see there stash at the end of the night, 
he delighted in his bucket of candy but did not beg beyond his snack size bag of M&M's.
This kid (and his family) have got this, struggles and all, they make it work

Bonus pictures...  

 They loved helping Uncle Gavin carve our pumpkin. 
Gavin is such a good sport to still come over and do his momma this favor!
Our Scarlett
 Sweetest little witch ever!
It's hard not to see this little one on Halloween, 
but her daddy sent us some pretty sweet pics!

 Audrey & Carson....little kitties

8 comments:

  1. That was a very sweet blog 😊 He's still talking about how It was the best night ever. We are so blessed with his easy going spirit. We all did good, go team! Someday when Carson is on the pump, assuming he is, he really can have all the candy he wants, within reason, he just has to bolus the insultin for t! So that sounds so freeing! Until then, this seems to be working pretty well! Xoxoxo

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  2. You all inspire! Way to deal with the hurdles in life with a positive spin!

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    1. Thanks friend, It's not easy, my head always wants to go to the sad stuff....working on it!

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  3. He has taken this challenge with force and is amazing, I have loved getting to be alongside your family during this time and I am thankful for all you have taught me about type 1 that I didn't know before. Knowing how we can help or support is huge! Keep being amazing Carson boy! And to his family, you all inspire and encourage me more than you know.

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    1. Thanks for your sweet comment Miranda, it's such a blessing to feel supported by our friends. Yes, Carson is amazing, he is my hero!

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  4. Your positive attitude toward type 1 shines in this post, Jackie. I am amazed at your strength and how Carson is handling it. Kudos also to Brianna and Chris. This can't be easy for them. But they are doing what they must to protect their boy.

    I loved all of the Halloween pix of your grand loves in costumes. And, Gavin, wow, what a wonderful son to carve that pumpkin.

    So much love in this post. Makes me happy.

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    1. Thanks Audrey, You are a sweet friend...thanks for your kind and encouraging words!

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