Green-Eyed Monster
No, no. Sadly, my eyes are brown- not a pretty green. But, every now and then I sure become that green-eyes monster my parents used to talk about… I’m rarely a jealous person. In fact, I’m one of those who when things go right for people, sit there like “woot woot! About damn time!”. Buuuut, I’m not perfect.
For a while I would just get angry about the situation I’m about to bring up. It was recently I discovered why…
To be honest, I’m not sure how to bring this one up… so I’m just going to go for it and hope that people actually take the time to read what I’m trying to say instead of taking a few sentences and running away with it. Hate email really is no fun ya know…
I’m jealous of breast cancer walks.
There. I said it. Even as I typed that 6 word sentence I could feel the evil glares of the world looking down (it’s easy, I’m short!) at me. But I mean it! I sure as hell am not jealous of cancer. I am not jealous of what it does to people, to families, to lives…but I’m jealous of the walks and I’ll tell you why:
Breast cancer walks are HUGE. There’s tons of publicity and the money that gets donated to the foundation – it’s INSANE. The walks are always…well? Fun. People are wearing boas, and have crazy outfits. They are spray painted pink and it truly is a daylong experience filled with bonding and laughter and the sharing of the joy of defeat AND the fighting of the horrible monster.
Still with me? Good.
For years I’ve wondered how come JDRF walks… now called “One Walks” aren’t like that. We are talking about kids after all! Children. Why can’t the walk dedicated to fighting their disease be more of a celebration of the battle (since there is no “defeat”) and the warrior waging that war?? How come we can’t have something more… upbeat??
I attended my local chapter’s One Walk this past weekend and it was good as usual. Bunches of kids and families. The t-shirt competition, the DJ who does his absolute best to keep everyone engaged, an obstacle course… but it somehow lacked that… I truly don’t know what to call it… spark.
I want a spark! I want kids and families in costumes, not just tshirts! I want to hear the kids having FUN. I want sugar free candy give-a-ways and a dunking booth for a guy dressed in black with “type one” written on his shirt! I want a sound proof booth were kids and parents and spouses and siblings can go in and scream their bloody head off about what a horrible freakin disease it is! I want the booths to not be so much about the manufacturers (though I do love me my Omnipod) but more about LIFE. Have Sugar Medical there with their newest tester bags for sale (discounts please!)! Have the cool stickers that can go on the pods as a give-a-way or hell, even sell them! Raffle off baskets of sugar free goodies or something!
Does it make sense what I’m saying? I’m too old now to try to figure out what is cool to kids and teens. I’m 28 and over the hill. But when I was diagnosed (age 9) all the way up to 20 (ish?) I didn’t go to the JDRF walks. I didn’t want a whole day dedicated to what I already couldn’t forget. But I sure went to breast cancer walks. I’d temporarily dye my hair pink and spend the day walking with my friends. I remember being proud to know the people I did who had fought against breast cancer.
Realizing that – genuinely makes me sad and angry guys. But truth be told – it more makes me jealous. I, Bean, turn into the green-eyed monster when I think about it. I don’t want any support or excitement taken away from those great breast cancer walks! I just want it for the JDRF walks as well. I want that same level of support from companies, families, friends, and the community. I don’t really even want it for me anymore. (Although I could totally get down with dunking “type one diabetes”. Get some anger out, ya know?) I want it for the kids and teens who are going through what I did years ago.
T1D isn’t fun. Breast cancer (I can sure imagine) isn’t fun. But if breast cancer can have the amazing walks that it does, surely we can make such a thing happen for the T1D kids in our lives, no?
Again, I know I’m just a jealous past-my-prime, 9:30pm is my bedtime, person over here… but I don’t think I can be the only one who feels like this…
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