I just wanted to give a brief update on Brandon's diabetes situation. After a very hard first few days, Brandon learned very quickly to be brave about his shots and pricks. He rarely cries anymore. There are still a few moments when he says it hurts but they are few and far between. He likes to show off to others that he can give himself a shot and prick himself with no help. If anyone is around he wants them to watch what he can do. The hardest part now is telling him that he can't have something to eat. He always asks to see how much sweets or bread I will let him have. He usually handles a "no" answer very well, but is hard to always say no. We do allow him some treats on occasion, but we try not to make it a habit. There is such a fine line to determine how much insulin, how many carbs, etc. without him getting too high or too low. His endocrinologist often changes how much insulin he is getting to try and find just the right amount that works for his body. However, since we are still "honeymooning" this is a difficult task. That means that on occasion his pancreas is still producing bits of insulin. We never know when or if this will happen. So, each day we try our best to keep him where he needs to be and try not to worry about all the long term implications of what he is going through. I would like to say thank you to all of you who have been praying for Brandon. We know that without the prayers, things would not be going as well as they are for Brandon. In a nutshell, we are doing very well with all we have to do for him.
Shortly after he was diagnosed, I was shopping in Kroger. When I went to check out, they were selling little pieces of paper shaped like shoes that you could buy for $1 to support the Juvenile Diabetes Reasearch Foundation (JDRF). If you bought one, you could write your name on it and they would hang it on their wall for everyone to see. I often see these in different stores for all sorts of different causes. Usually when I see these for sale, I think of how sad it is for people to be suffering through all these different illnesses but I don't buy one (you can't support every good cause) and then I leave the store and never think of it again. Well, this time when they asked me if I wanted to buy a piece of paper for $1 it was a different story. This is my kid that these people are raising money for. Instead of a picture of some unknown kid in a hospital flashing through my mind I thought of my son. So, of course, I bought the little shoe and wrote on it that is was in honor of Brandon Young. I was so thankful that other people were raising money and supporting this foundation that could one day make a huge difference in my son's life. So, in the future I will try to be more concerned for other children who are going through difficult illnesses. Although I still can't support every organization that is fundraising, at least I can remember to pray for the children and families that are affected. I would also like to do more to support the JDRF in the future as well.
