Friends

Grace has the nicest group of friends. Like all 7 year olds, issues sometimes come up but I've been amazed how sweet and kind they are as a group. When Grace started the school year, she spent lots of time teaching them about diabetes. I love Grace's teacher for giving her the opportunity to talk to her friends. She has encouraged them to learn as a group and has allowed Grace the room to grow into her diagnosis.

Today, Grace spoke to her class about her new pump. They gathered in a circle and Grace explained how the pump worked. She was so proud to share with everyone and the whole class was so happy for her. You could see their excitement. The teacher encouraged a little Q&A. Here is a list of some of the questions they asked.

How does it work?

Does it suck your blood because I wouldn't like that.

Do you wear it all the time?

What if you're swimming?

What if you're swimming and it falls off?

If it falls off in the pool I'm a very good swimmer and I would get it for you because you are my friend (how sweet is that?)

Does it hurt?

Is diabetes a disease?

Is it better than all of those shots you have to take?

I hate needles.

What if you drop it?

I lost my ipod and mom was mad. What happens if you lose your pump?

What if someone knocks into you in a soccer game?

Can you watch movies on the pump?

What colors can you get?

Why do you have diabetes?

My uncle died from diabetes.

Can you do cartwheels with a pump on?

When will you get better?

Will you always wear a pump?

Grace did her best to answer each question. She didn't flinch at the "death" statement. She leaned over to me and whispered, "probably type 2 or maybe he didn't check his sugar enough." I nodded and concurred. When the friend asked if it was a disease, she responded, "No, my mom just says my pancreas is lazy." When she couldn't answer a question, I jumped in for a minute but it was her show. The last question was from my nephew Tim who is in Grace's class. Timothy was quiet the whole time but he kept sneaking smiles at me. I knew he was up to something. Tim's question: Can Grace go bungee jumping with that on? Me: Yes. Tim smiles, taps his fingers together and quietly whispers, "excellent." Grace looked nervously at me and I shook her off but gave the classic "Meet the Fockers" two eyes looking at you motion and everyone laughed. It felt so good to smile and laugh and to see how Grace has grown into a teacher in all of this. All of the kids want me to come back and sit down with Grace again once we get hooked up over spring break. It's totally awesome to be in a class that encourages this type of interaction. Normalcy is what Grace needs and she's thriving in that environment. But my normalcy, I do not mean bungee jumping, Timothy.