I started November, American Diabetes Month, saying I wanted to celebrate the month by donating to two of my favorite diabetes charities. The Behavioral Diabetes Institute and Diabetes Hands Foundation are small relative to the big diabetes organizations, but I think the work they do is no less valuable. I have directly benefited from their work in many ways, and it’s important to me that I support them because I want them to flourish so they can have a positive impact on others who can benefit from their work.

I got all my inspiration from Rachel at Tales of My 30’s, so I want to give her props. Following her lead, I decided to donate a quarter to the Behavioral Diabetes Institute for every comment left on the blog during the month of November. Yesterday, I finally sat and calculated, omitting pingbacks and comments I left in response to others’ comments. The grand total came to 283 comments, which means I am donating $70.75 to BDI.

Similarly, I said I would donate a quarter to Diabetes Hands Foundation for every page hit I got on World Diabetes Day. I actually tallied this and posted it a day after the fact, but it was just a footnote at the end of a post. Since I’m posting about the fundraising total for BDI today, I wanted to re-post the total for DHF in case you missed it and were wondering. On November 14th, there were 234 page hits which means I’m donating $58.50 to DHF.

Because it’s the holidays and money is tight this time of year, it will be later in December or early January before I can actually donate the money, which I felt like I should disclose, but once our Christmas spending is done, I will be making both donations. It’s not a ton of money, but it’s something extra that I believe will be put to good use by a couple of diabetes organizations that I hope to see grow and continue to help people with diabetes, and in turn, help the the entire diabetes community.

I know there’s less blog reading on the weekends because what better place to read blogs than at work during the week (I won’t tell on you, I swear!), so in case you missed Saturday’s post, please check it out. While I was not in good spirits on Friday, eventually, my mood improved, and I felt inspired to do a little something for the people who always help when I’m feeling blue. Psst… that’s you!

After much deliberating, at the last minute, we decided to make our own Thanksgiving dinner here at home. A little after 8:30PM, Wednesday night, we set out in the cold, misty rain. First we hit Bed, Bath & Beyond – in our house, always pronounced Toy Story-style, “To Infinity and Beyond!!” – to get a turkey roasting pan. I had borrowed Jason’s mom’s roasting pan before, but as I said recently, she moved over the summer. After that stop, we hit a supermarket, getting most of what I wanted. Naturally, they didn’t have a single turkey, so we went to another supermarket. They only had frozen, so after dropping the groceries and Jason off at home, I went to a third supermarket in search of a fresh turkey. There was nary a turkey to be found though, so I backtracked to the second supermarket, and got one of the frozen ones, a 15-pounder for plenty of leftovers since I love me some roasted poultry.

I took some culinary shortcuts in the interest of saving time. I bought pre-made cornbread from the supermarket bakery for the cornbread dressing; bagged & cubed white bread, also for the dressing; refrigerator crescent rolls; jarred gravy; an apple pie from the supermarket bakery; and some kind of flavored rice that you microwave in the bag for 90 seconds since Jason wanted that instead of potatoes. It’s one of those many neuroses of mine that I like to do everything from scratch when I cook a nice meal. Maybe it’s partly to compensate for the fact that most of the time we eat a lot of canned soup and Lean Cuisine. While I cheated with those store-bought items, I made the cranberry sauce, the turkey stock for the cornbread dressing, the dressing, the roasted asparagus, and the turkey, of course. I also made a couple of small dinner salads because I can’t stand to not serve at least a couple of green veggies. Argue all you want, but corn and potatoes don’t count as veggies in the land of diabetes, regardless of the fact that they grow from plants. Overall, everything seemed to turn out well. I ate a turkey leg, so I don’t know if the white meat was too dry or not. Jason cleaned his plate though, so it must have been OK.

Now that Thanksgiving dinner is nothing but leftovers, I know some people have to work today, but lots of people are off, shopping or spending time with family and the like. Personally, I’m debating whether or not I want to venture to the mall area. In years past, I’ve often gone later in the day after the crazy people who showed up at 6AM, 5AM, or even more insane, 4AM have dragged their tired selves home. Shopping at 4PM on Black Friday has generally meant parking aplenty and not too many annoying, inconsiderate people. Granted, most stores look like a war zone with merchandise everywhere, shelves and racks totally disorganized, and certainly not the same selection that the people who showed up early had. There are still good deals to be had though.

Also, whether you’re buying gifts in a store or online, you’re just making gift lists, or none of the above, please take a moment and donate to Fight It! Friday so that 10 families can afford their diabetes supplies this holiday season. As of the time I’m posting this, they’re only at 36% of the $4,000 goal they want to reach by the end of today, so if you can spare one dollar, that’s all they’re asking. if you can spare more, of course they’ll welcome your donation.

I know posting funny videos is more the domain of George than me, but Jason sent this to me, and I thought it was hilarious considering all the time I spend Facebooking/Tweeting/Blogging, and the fact that Jason and I met on match.com.

Last night I fired up Skype to have a chat with Chris Snider (with an I not a Y) from A Consequence of Hypoglycemia and Just Talking. We ‘just talked’ about the magic of art therapy, snakes and lizards, the look people give you when you tell then you have a blog, and how Terrell Owens needs therapy, amongst many other fascinating conversational tangents. It’s an hour-long podcast, but hopefully you’ll laugh at least a fraction as much as I laugh throughout the entirety. So check it out, feel free to tell me I’m a dork, and leave a comment for Chris telling him he’s cool for tolerating my dorkiness.

As you prep your turkey, boil your cranberries, and roll your piecrust, please consider donating to a cause that will be helping ten families with diabetes this holiday season. The folks behind Diabetic Rockstar, a social networking community and nonprofit organization, have an initiative they call Fight-It! designed to help individuals and families who struggle with the burdensome costs of diabetes care. Of course, Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year during which people drop small suitcases of money to get deals on their holiday gifts. In the spirit of giving, Diabetic Rockstar has coined this shopaholic’s dream day, Fight It! Friday. They are asking that you donate $1 to help raise $4,000 that will go towards helping diabetic families make it through this holiday season. According to the press release:

“The National Institute of Health estimates that the yearly cost of managing diabetes exceeds $14,000. For an uninsured family, this amount is almost beyond feasible, as the daily struggle of managing an unpredictable and incurable disease, combined with the financial strain, can be a crippling burden. The current economy is not making this battle any easier; even families considered middle to upper-middle class are reeling from this relentless disease known as diabetes.”

If you have a dollar to spare, or more if you’re willing, please consider helping the Fight It! campaign raise the funds to help the families they’ve selected through their assistance application process. Diabetes is an enormously expensive disease, and the costs can be financially debilitating. So on this one day, for one dollar, you can make sure a family has the blood sugar testing supplies, insulin, and all the other paraphernalia we need to stay alive and well. You can donate here:

Firstly, I just want to give a reminder that tomorrow, for every page hit I get, as determined by the Wordpress stat counter, I will donate a quarter to Diabetes Hands Foundation. I know a lot of people have plans since it is World Diabetes Day so you’ll be out and about, wearing blue, raising awareness, and such. It’s also a Saturday which is typically not a big blog reading day, or at least not a Butter Compartment reading day, but hopefully, if you have a second to stop by, we can raise some money for a great diabetes organization. I’m starting to feel like a nag with the reminders, but I’m also raising funds for the Behavioral Diabetes Institute for every comment I get this month, so don’t be shy, say “Hi!”

Secondly, I suppose the word about the Big Blue Test has been thoroughly spread, so since I’m thinking this isn’t the first time you’ve heard about it, consider it a friendly reminder. If I do happen to catch someone who hadn’t gotten word of it, that’ll just be a bonus.

The Big Blue Test is in honor of World Diabetes Day. To participate, tomorrow at 2PM, your local time:
1. Test your blood sugar.
2. Run, jog, walk the dog or do anything you’d normally do as part of your exercise routine for 14 minutes.
3. Test your blood sugar again.
4. Go to Big Blue Test (or your preferred diabetes social network*) and post your readings and what physical activity you did. If you have a camera, you can also add a photo of your reading(s) or you exercising.
5. If you have a Twitter account, you can also post your readings on Twitter (use the #bigbluetest hashtag) and link back to Big Blue Test.

* Participating diabetes social networks:
• TuDiabetes (campaign organizer)
• Children With Diabetes
• Diabetes Daily
• Diabetic Connect
• Diabetic Rockstar
• dLife
• Juvenation
• My Diabetes Central

If you’re not able to do it at 2PM, do not fret! You can still participate! Just check, move, and check again when you’re able to do it, and post. The point of the endeavor is to remind people that they are not alone with their diabetes, at least not in spirit and not online. It’s also to reinforce the importance that exercise plays in diabetes management. Uh, yes, I know this is an area with which I struggle, so I do feel like a hypocrite telling you that, but I never claimed to be the perfect diabetic…

Thirdly, if you happen to be in Philly tomorrow, or you’re close enough to get yourself into the city, I would LOVE to see you! Come to World Diabetes Day at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine at 8th and Race Street. As I’ve already mentioned, I’ll be there doing an art project, and trying to share the wonderful healing powers of art-making. It won’t heal your beta cells or make you less insulin resistant, but I aim to heal the wear and tear diabetes brings to the soul. Be sure to stop by if you can!

Fourthly, I’m trying to stay on top of NaBloPoMo, but the art therapy conference and the art therapy exam is next week, so sorry if the posts get a little lame over the next week. I’m really trying to keep up…

Jason and I were talking the other night over dinner. I was telling him about the Green Family Foundation Blogger Roundtable on Access to Healthcare I attended, and how many of the participants talked about the need to put a human face on the issue. In that moment, I thought of the video I saw of a disabled woman at a town hall meeting, in New Jersey which only amplified my shame and horror since it was the sort of thing I hated to see emanating from my own backyard. The woman was in a wheelchair and was trying to describe her ailments and the financial nightmare she experiences trying to get her healthcare needs met. She was heckled and booed by the audience in what was one of the most disgusting displays of inhumanity.

I relayed to Jason how, with that video in mind, I had said to my fellow discussion attendees, “I hate to sound like a cynic, but I don’t know that putting a human face on it is as effective as we’d like it to be. People just don’t care unless it personally affects them, unless it’s their family member who’s sick and in need of medication, supplies and treatment.” Very matter-of-factly, Jason agreed with me. He said if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t know or care about health care reform. He wouldn’t know or care about diabetes. He said, “If you didn’t have diabetes, you wouldn’t know or care either.”

I grudgingly agreed with that last part, although who I would be and what my priorities and values would be if I didn’t have diabetes is completely unimaginable to me since diabetes has shaped every facet of my personality and every aspect of who I am. Trying to fathom what I would be without diabetes is like trying to imagine what a child who died at age 5 would be like at age 36. Lee Ann sans diabetes slipped away during the Carter Administration, back when her priorities were the latest Barbie, a new box of crayons, Fun Dip, and Little House on the Prairie. Heaven only knows who or what that little girl would have grown up to be. Maybe she wouldn’t care. Maybe she would.

Now all that remains is Lee Ann with diabetes. Since this is who I am, I do know way more about diabetes and about needing healthcare than the average person. I try to be very understanding and forgiving that the rest of the world isn’t as knowledgeable about diabetes as someone who actually has diabetes. I love when people ask me questions about diabetes. LOVE it. Ask away, and I’ll explain whatever you want to know for as long as you’re willing to listen. It brings me delight to educate someone because any block I can remove from the fortress of misconceptions is progress. Maybe it’s not much, but it’s something. One less person walking around thinking I have diabetes because I ate too much sugar or thinking I take insulin so I must be at death’s door is a check in the success column as far as I’m concerned. But where do you draw the line between forgivable unawareness, and unconscionable ignorance?

I actually don’t encounter blatant ignorance that often though, at least not in real life. I’m guessing that probably has some relation to the fact that I don’t leave the house that often, and when I do, I don’t necessarily interact with people. That’s just a theory I have though. However, I hear about ignorance on the interwebz. The most recent that leaps to mind was brought to my attention by Wendy via Shamae at Crazy Happy Life. It was the case of Mr. Barber, the jerk who wrote his local paper to complain about a child taking an injection at a nearby table in Burger King, ruining his lunch. I think it’s a fair assumption that the child was taking insulin, based on the account. While we’re all terribly sympathetic that Mr. Barber’s lunch was ruined by such a thoughtlessly gross display of diabetes self-management, I suppose it never crossed his mind that every meal that child eats is ruined by having to take an injection. Unfortunately, I’d say from the tone of the letter, even had that crossed his mind, he wouldn’t care either way.

That letter was appalling, but even more appalling was the level of ignorance it represented and the fact that there are people like that everywhere. Ignorance is all around and inescapable, at your child’s school, at your place of employment, amongst your friends and family, in the editorial section of your local paper, and apparently, sitting a table away from you at Burger King. How do we even begin to quantify the ignorance? Well, you and I can’t really do that despite the often overwhelming anecdotal evidence we amass, but apparently the American Diabetes Association took a little poll in an effort to measure just how clueless America is about diabetes. Even with the knowledge that there are more Mr. Barbers out there than I care to consider, I shook my head in complete dismay as I read this article in Forbes about the survey.

“Diabetes is responsible for more deaths each year in the United States than breast cancer and AIDS combined, but just 42 percent of those surveyed knew that diabetes could be so deadly.”

Honestly, this is a whole other post that I probably won’t even ever write because it’s one of those if-you-don’t-have-anything-nice-to-say-don’t-say-anything-at-all posts. If we ever sit down over some diet sodas though, feel free to ask me, and I’ll freely share my thoughts on this.

“Those who have the disease often say the lack of awareness can feel like a lack of support.“

Welcome to the pancreatically challenged corner of the universe.

“‘… and at a party, nobody thinks about something simple, like getting diet drinks.’”

This is a quote from a woman interviewed for the article, and it rang true for me. I love my diet soda, so this is a big pet peeve of mine. I probably need to get back in the habit of just carrying extra diet sodas with me wherever I go.

“McLaughlin said a common myth is that sugar and overeating cause diabetes. But, that’s not true for either type of diabetes. Diet isn’t a factor at all in type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly attacks the islet cells in the pancreas, destroying the body’s ability to produce insulin.“

When I read an actual distinction between T1 and T2 that’s also accurate, it makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

“Still, only one-third of the people surveyed knew that too much sugar did not cause diabetes.“

Ugh. I’ve been hearing this one since 1978, and it makes me want to scream.

“Just 12 percent knew that people with diabetes don’t have to follow a more restrictive diet than the healthy diet that’s recommended for the general population.“

I hope the day will come when I can eat a piece of cake and not get looks or comments, but if 88% of people think I can’t eat cake, I just don’t think the day will ever come when I can eat cake in peace.

“Almost one in 10 respondents thought there was a cure for diabetes, and 19 percent weren’t sure. (Although there are ways to manage diabetes, there is no cure.)“

Holy %$#@. Seriously? I think this stat is probably the most upsetting for me.

“Less than 60 percent could correctly distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.“

That’s better than I would have predicted. But it still sucks.

“Almost 20 percent erroneously believed that the death rate from diabetes was declining.“

This is a close second to the 29% who either think there’s a cure or aren’t sure if there is one.

“Overall, Americans scored a 51 percent on the survey — a failing grade.”

We have so far to go, my friends. So. Far.

Since it’s American Diabetes Month, maybe we can make a little progress though. As a means of combating the misinformation, mistruths and misconceptions, the ADA has launched Stop Diabetes:

a movement to end the devastating toll that diabetes takes on the lives of millions of individuals and families across our nation. It will inspire and mobilize the general public, volunteers, donors, corporations and the scientific and medical communities to rally around our cause and our call to “share, act, learn & give”. Through these actions, millions will have the chance to get involved and help raise awareness, promote healthy living, and raise money to fund educational outreach, advocacy efforts and critical research that will ultimately stop diabetes once and for all.

I think it’s worth a click to check it out since we obviously need all the help we can get to chip away at those awful statistics. I dig the little hand logo too (although I’m bummed I couldn’t find a larger version of it…), and obviously, I think any kind of visuals are great for the purpose of raising awareness. The ADA has also redesigned their main website, so when you get a chance, you might want to check that out too. Everything we do to reduce the number of Mr. Barbers in the world is a step in the right direction, and we cleary have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get moving!

* Just a reminder that I’m donating money to two of my favorite diabetes organizations, Behavioral Diabetes Institute for every comment I receive this month, and Diabetes Hands Foundation for every click I get on November 14th, World Diabetes Day.