for my first entry i am reprising a piece that i previously posted elsewhere on why the world needs a doctor as fabulous as the man we've been blessed with...
there are many dates that become indelible in our personal history; first kiss, first love, first child... and there are others that forever change what you thought you knew or expected. December 6, 2009 was that date for me. hence the name of this blog. this date became e's date of diagnosis, which i would later learn is a significant date in the world of diabetes.
i was feeling like i had been hit with a ton of bricks mixed with terror, confusion and vulnerability. our family was quickly thrown into an ocean of blood sugar levels, carb counting and insulin doses complete with syringes, shots and nightly worries. our normal readjusted to a new normal. our family photographs were viewed as before and after.
it would take many more months of working through our new routine to realize that perhaps there was more to be gained from our current way of managing this insidious disease. could there possibly be another option besides blindly stumbling from one check up to another without fully comprehending the system?
after following the breadcrumbs like hansel and gretel, from berkeley to boston to denver to stanford, we found the motherload at ucsf. it was on e's birthday, december 23, 2010, at 10:24am when i sent my first email seeking an "immersive educational program for our 11 year-old daughter." i received a response from an administrator explaining that the clinic would be closed for the holidays, but that she would forward the "request to dr. adi, although he is currently away." by 12:02pm i received a reply from the previously said absent director of pediatric services explaining that my note his a sensitive chord and that he would get us in for an appointment once he returned.
it is only now, as i comfortably sit with the security of dr. adi managing E's health that i realize he was the best gift she could have received for her 11th year. by january 10th we had an appointment to meet dr. adi and see the ucsf clinic. it was during this meeting that my tears of relief surfaced, and those tears continue to come everytime i'm in the room with this amazing man. by the following day e had her first appointment and the rest is memorable history. from the moment that she was told that she did not have to conform to a set number of carbs per meal e has been an adi fan since.
the whole psychology of managing e's diabetes has shifted since switching her care to ucsf. rather than living her life around diabetes she now has the freedom to live her life as she chooses while balancing diabetes to her preference. additionally, when we explained to dr. adi how we really felt that e was not taking her responsibilities seriously and needed to learn to manage her diabetes, we were quickly, yet kindly corrected that "no! she is a kid and should be allowed to be a kid. you are the parent. you manage the diabetes." more tears of relief, and more lessons learned.
from that moment forward we have felt that dr. adi should be shared with the world. everyone should have a dr. adi and the ability to learn from him as we have. it is our goal and dream that dr. adi have the ability to share his vision with other families. that dream has since been realized with the creation of the madison clinic for pediatric diabetes at ucsf. everyday i am thankful for what we have found in our dr. adi and grateful for my wonderful husband who made it all possible.
