One of the additional categories that Kyle created for me on this blog is Rockstar, which I haven’t posted under yet because we haven’t had one of our “rockstar weekends” that my mom so generously supplies for us by whisking the kids off to Sand-town for a few days so we can stay out, sleep in, and eat at places without kid’s sections on their menus. Look for a new entry after this weekend, though, because Kyle and I are heading down to Cincy to watch the Flying Pig Marathon and cheer my friend, Jen, on to finishing her second 26.2-miler in less than a year. I’m going to be jumping in the last 10 miles with her so my rockstar status will have to be kept to a minimum on Saturday night, but we are staying in a hotel, which means no dogs, no monitor by the bed, no children, and no excuses for not having a very ummm…”romantic” evening. My wonderful mom is coming into town on Thursday because we thought we were going to get to head down to our fave restaurant for a Rock-n-Roll Wine dinner, but it’s been pushed back a few weeks…so my mom said to just make alternate plans and she’d be happy to watch the kids while we paint Cleveland red on Friday night. It’s always a big ordeal trying to choose the evening’s dining establishment…we tend to stick to what we know and love (it’s not that we don’t want to try something new, because we are salivating at the thought of it’s upcoming opening; it’s that these places are so damn good that they are nearly impossible to resist). Have no fear, I’m sure Kyle will come up with a rockstar-worthy plan just begging to be blogged about.

In the meantime, I was searching for some diabetic info and came across diabeteshappens.com, which has an inspiring mission/project along with some pretty clever t-shirt designs. If they came in women’s sizes, I’d have to order at least two, but I think Kyle would proudly wear the coast-to-coast…we’ll see. All proceeds from their sales go to sponsoring a type 1 boy or girl at Chris Dudley’s basketball camp. It’s a great cause so go check them out.

This site led me to diabeticrockstar.com, a social networking site for diabetics who live out loud despite their diagnosis. Their charity, Fight-It, is a direct response to the inadequacy of healthcare in this country. I am lucky to have health insurance that provides help with the cost of my insulin pump, monthly supplies, insulin, test strips, endo appointments, and lab tests. Fight-It is doing their part to make sure that all diabetics have access to quality healthcare and the supplies needed to manage their diabetes. About a month ago I met a young woman who was type 1 but had no health insurance (kicked off her parents, part-time job, pre-existing condition…you know the story) so she had to stop pumping. She could only afford one type of insulin (regular) and wasn’t taking any long-acting insulin with it so she was waking up in the 300 range every morning. I gave her some of my old Lantus and Humalog pens I had rotting away in the fridge from my injection days and within a week she was waking up in the normal range, feeling a hell of a lot better. She’s now on her work’s insurance plan, but I’m certain she is paying premiums that are close to what she brings home each week. Needless to say, this cause is a necessary one and they should be applauded for their efforts. I’m definitely ordering some gear from them…I’m diabetic and a rockstar, so how could I not…really. I’m also going to campaign for the 2008 democratic candidate like a madwoman because healthcare is not a privilege; it is a right, and it’s about time we get it.