The Nice LIST – SIFG Helping JDRF

Its November.

For many Novembers, this time of year was of no real significance to us at Softball Is For Girls. It was a time of year where we planned for the upcoming holidays, moved our softball practices indoors, and said a sad goodbye to the weekend tournaments.

But this November, its a little different. November, is also Type 1 Diabetes awareness month and this November is our first time living with a 12-year-old Type 1 Diabetic, who also happens to play competitive softball. We told you our story a few weeks back, a frightening hospital stay and quick diagnosis that would change our lives forever.

Like most people, we didn’t know much about Diabetes, especially Type 1. When you hear of a Type 1 kid (T1D) you might think they drank too many sodas when they were young , were overweight, or not active enough. You might wonder if the parents were providing enough adequate nutrition for their child. You might be tempted to email the parent the latest and greatest cure that you read about, or encourage them to add cinnamon to their child’s diet. The thing is, T1D, is vastly different from Type 2 diabetics. And Type 1 mostly affects kids.

The difference, to put in plainly – is that a Type 1 diabetic has a broken pancreas. It no longer produces insulin properly. Eventually, it doesn’t produce insulin at all. Without insulin, our children would die.

And this is why they are dependent upon shots and insulin in order to survive. Type 1 diabetics endure hundreds, if not thousands of finger pricks monthly, and have to take insulin regardless of what they eat. And YES, they can eat anything they want, just like any other child. The difference is that they have to be given insulin to go with it because their little broken pancreas has decided to take a permanent vacation.

For the most part, T1D kids live a normal and active life. Our daughter, is extremely active. Runs track, distance runs and plays competitive softball. Most of the Type 1 girls we have met, are also especially athletic and active. Consider, Molly Fichtner, the catcher turned assistant coach for the University of Alabama.

Type 1 kids are not sick, or sickly. But seeing as Type 1 diabetes is an IMMUNE DISORDER, it is necessary to be very careful about their overall health. A stomach virus can send a T1D to the hospital in the blink of an eye. This is one reason, that so many Type 1 diabetic children are often more health conscious than their pancreas-working counterparts.

And there are a TON of girls out there playing softball who are Type 1 Diabetics. Youd never know it unless you saw them checking their blood sugar before a game, or slip an injection in during a team meal, or caught a glimpse of an insulin pump under their clothing.

Since its November, we at Softball is For Girls want to give a little back. We will be donating money from the sale of our holiday shirt (The NICE LIST) to the JDRF.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation was a godsend to us in our time of darkness, and provided so many amenities and much support during our diagnosis days. The vast majority of the people helping out were parents, just like you and me, who happened to have a child diagnosed with this disease. And perhaps the best part – MANY OF THESE FOLKS had child-athletes who played FASTPITCH SOFTBALL

We want to celebrate these athletes. They are amazing. We live with one, and we know first hand that they have a lot of extra stresses in their life. (One of those being parents who are constantly saying, whats your numbers?) And yet, in true childlike fashion, they overcome and adjust and CARRY ON! Like amazing softball warriors!