4 Degrees Of DOC (Diabetes On-Line Community) Separation~

I felt a little funny writing this post & I wasn't sure how to go about telling this story, so I'm just going to tell you what was told to me.
And that it's about us, all of us in the DOC &  the power of our community - And how Health Care professionals are starting to "get it."  
So please know that by I, absolutely do mean WE, every single one of us in The fantastical DOC!

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This past Friday felt like a Monday from hell at the office - It was crazyhectic - and not in a good way. 

When the work day finally ended,  I literally chilled out. I sat in the house with the air conditioner cranked, and in cotton PJ's and tuned out. I started reading Moira's book and was just about to get totally lost in it when my phone rang. 

My good friend C had called me to catch up. We hadn't talked since before my trip so we had a lot to chat about. We talked about the Children With Diabetes Friends for Life Conference and how amazing  was and how good being with others living the diabetes life made me feel.

We talked about how crazy her week had been and how she couldn't wait to relax. We talked about friends and the weather and how I'd been eating a REDONKULOUS amounts of Outshine Fruit Bars since the heatwave started. 

We talked about getting together sooner rather than later and as we were just about to say our goodbyes, she said: Oh my God, I have to tell you something!

Me: OK, shoot.

C: G (her friend with diabetes who'd just moved to our town last year and who wears a pump and a CGM,) went to see a new Endo on Tuesday and he really liked her.

Me: That's great & I'm so glad to hear that!

C: Yeah, it is - But that's not why I'm telling you. Turns out his new Endo asked him if he knew any other people locally who wore insulin pumps.
Sidebar: But seriously though, how flipping cool is that Endo. 
And at first he was like - No, I don't. But then he was like: Wait a second, I do know someone locally who wears an insulin pump. My friend Kelly Kunik wears an insulin pump. And then the Endo was like: Kelly Kunik, the Diabetes Blogger?? 

And G was like: Yeah.  And then the Endo was like: You need to hangout with her because she can help you connect with a whole group of people online that can offer you support when it comes to living with diabetes. 
It's called The Diabetes Online Community and it's a great thing!

And I was like: Come again??

And then I stopped in my tracks and really thought about it. It wasn't so much that she'd recognized my name, though I'll be honest with you, I was flattered. No, it was much more than that. 

It was that this Endo, who worked for a little out of the way satellite office of a very well known teaching hospital in another state, knew about and recognized the importance of the DOC collectively and as a group - And was telling her patient to get online and get involved. 

And G could have mentioned any number of names in the DOC if he'd known them in real life, and his Endo would have been familiar with them. And to me that was huge - And it's what all of us have been working towards and talking about for so long. 

Support when it comes to living with diabetes is incredibly important. To meet others online who walk in your diabetes shoes is an amazing thing. 

Together we give and get support and encouragement to one another and the loneliness that comes with living with a chronic illness dissipates and is replaced by a feeling of empowerment and confidence. 

People with diabetes are not the experts at treating diabetes, but we are the experts at living and dealing with diabetes, 365 days a year and with no time off for holidays or good behavior. Together, we move mountains.... Alone we trudge up hills. 

And the fact that medical professionals are starting to see how much peer support in the form of Diabetes Blogs, Vlogs, On-line Communities, DSMA, etc., is so incredibly important!

And at that moment all the negative of the day disappeared and was replaced by feelings of hope and acceptance and support.

And that my friends was and continues to be, an incredibly beautiful thing~

FYI: Today is all about #dblogcheck ,as in a "check-in" day!
So if you're checking in - I totally appreciate it and thanks in advance for reading/checking in/ slash stopping by!! Also, I hope today is a happy Monday for you, instead of Monday from hell!