And The Winner of The American Girl Diabetes Care Kit, Diabetesalicious Giveaway Is.....

And the winner of the Diabetesaliciousness American Girl Diabetes Care Kit, is....

I know I was supposed to announce the winner of the American Girl Diabetes Care Kit on Friday, but like much of the east coast, super storm Jonas messed with my jam in a major way - please accept my apologies~ 
For the record, coastal flooding in the winter is very real and very destructive and I do not wish it on anyone.

Luckily, I survived mostly unscathed, except for a busted water heater. 
With that being said, I'm pleased to announce  the winner of the Diabetesaliciousness American Girl Diabetes Care Kit, Giveaway is..........

Leigh Fickling! 

Leigh, CONGRATS and please shoot me an email (kellykunik(at)gmail(dot)com ,) with your mailing address so I can forward it to the folks at American Girl. 
And for those who didn't win, I will continue to look for fun giveaways here at Diabetealiciousness and good luck next time!
Lastly, big thanks to American Girl for creating such wonderful Diabetes Care Kit for your dolls and the children who love them - and for being so generous in providing a kit for the Diabetesaliciousness giveaway. 
American Girl 's Diabetes Care Kit is empowering and is an excellent diabetes teaching tool and I'm so grateful and glad that your company created such an amazing and wonderful Diabetes Care Kit! 

American Girl Diabetes Care Kit Review & Giveaway

Very cool and incredibly detailed, American Girl Diabetes Care Kit~

Two years ago, the then 11 year old Anje Busse created a Change.Org petition asking American Girl to create a line of Diabetes accessories for their dolls. And that's exactly what American Girl did~
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Like everyone else in the DOC, I was thrilled when I heard the news that American Girl had created and was launching the American Girl Diabetes Care Kit for their line of “Truly Me” Dolls.  
I reached out to AG and they were kind enough to send me my very own American Girl Diabetes Care Kit. 

My very own American Girl Diabetes Care Kit~

The kit comes fully loaded with diabetes accessories and I am so incredibly impressed with the details and thought that went into creating the diabetes accessories.
The logbook has a stitched back binder, the insulin pump has a clip and arrow keys, and from the BG number on the pump’s screen, I've come to the conclusion that it also has CGM capabilities.   
The tube of glucose tabs look just like the tubes of glucose tabs I keep in my car and my gym bag. 
The medical ID bracelet is pretty and perfect for a young doll with Type 1 diabetes. Sidebar: I believe that an American Girl Doll who wears a medical ID bracelet will encourage the little girl who loves her, to wear their own medical ID bracelet/ necklace. 

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that American Girl included an insulin pen in their Diabetes Care Kit because just like real life, your diabetes may vary and not every little girl wears an insulin pump. 
The kit’s meter has a test strip already inserted, the number on the screen matches the number on the insulin pump, and a lancing device. 
All the diabetes accessories fit nicely into the kit’s carrying case, which has a working zipper and ID Card all ready for you and your doll to fill out. FYI: when I spilled water, I discovered the kit’s bag was water resistant.
And now for more awesomeness: The folks at American Girl have generously agreed to Diabetesaliciousness American Girl Diabetes Care Kit, giveaway. 

How to win: leave a comment on the blog stating why you’d like to win an American Girl Diabetes Care Kit  - the winner will be announced on Friday afternoon and will be chosen by Random.org. 

Who can win: Anyone with diabetes no matter the age, or who has a child/loves a child with diabetes. 

Also, if you're a T1 parent/auntie/uncle, godparent with diabetes, I think that the American GirlDiabetes  Care Kit is an excellent teaching tool for the children in your life to learn about living with diabetes! 

**Please make sure you your blogger ID contain your email address, or leave your email address in your comment. If I can't contact you, or if I don't hear from you by Midnight on Monday, January 25th, I will be forced to choose a new winner. 

American Girl Diabetes Care Kit costs $24, comes with a blood sugar monitor, lancing device, insulin pump, insulin pen, medical bracelet, glucose tablets, log book, I.D. card, stickers, and a carrying case. 

The kit is available at americangirl.com, at all American Girl retail locations, or by calling 1-800-845-0005. 

And The Winner Of The Lauren's Hope egift Certificate Is.......

First: A HUGE thank-you to Lauren's Hope for sponsoring the $50 egift certificate giveaway that was featured on Thursday's post. 
And another HUGE round of thanks to all of those who entered the contest.

Second: All of the comments left on Thursday's post were straight from the heart, deeply personal and beautiful. 
Between you and me, I'm so glad that I left it up to Random.org to choose the winning comment, because I couldn't have done it. 

Third: The winner of the Lauren's Hope $50 eGift certificate is....... Pam Cermak. 
Pam, you have until Wednesday to contact me or your prize will go to some one else.  Shoot me an mail at: kellykunik(at)gmail.com and congratulations! 

Fourth: To Those that didn't win - Again, thank-you from the bottom of my busted pancreas for reading my blog and entering the contest!
It's because of your continued readership that I'm able to offer giveaways on the blog. 
Your readership is also responsible for my inspiration and tenacity on a daily basis. 
YOU GUYS ROCK!

A Lauren's Hope Giveaway & A Life Lesson In The Surf~

After THIS low blood sugar of 46,  incident at TJMAXX in June, the folks at Lauren’s Hope reached out to me and offered to send me a couple of their new Summer/casual inspired Medical Bracelets - and I was glad they did. 

FTR: I'm a fan of Lauren's Hope and I wear (and wrote a review,) for their Ooh,La La bracelet, which I love and. Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing that bracelet during  my TJMAXX experience - AND I WILL NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN. 

The Bracelets
First up:  The ClearWater Medical ID Bracelet. 

This is the Clearwater bracelet ~

Why I like The Clearwater bracelet: It’s pretty, I wear a lot of blues, greens, yellows, purples and black, so the aqua beads work with everything I own. I also wear a lot of sterling silver jewelry, so the sterling bar beads seamlessly blend with my other sterling accessories. 

The ClearWater can go from casual to dressy and it’s one of the few “dainty” looking pieces of jewelry that I can wear. And while it looks “dainty,” it isn’t - it’s incredibly durable.
Also. the bracelet is interchangeable with any Lauren's Hope medical ID tag.  

On Tuesday, my niece Tess saw the bracelet on my wrist and thought it was beautiful, which it is - and several strangers have stopped me and asked where they could get one.

Important info:  
Important information regarding this bracelet: The Lauren's Hope website states that the clearwater bracelet is not not to worn in hot tubs, the pool, or ocean water.

Lauren’s Hope also sent me the Journey Cuff bracelet - see below. 

I love the textured pattern of the Journey Cuff - I also love that it's swimming and surf proof!
Also: It makes me feel like I'm Wonder Woman! 

The Journey Cuff is stainless steel, is impervious to both the elements and my clumsiness, and it’s stylish. Personally, I LOVE cuff bracelets and I’ve been wearing the Journey out and on the town, I also wear every time I go swimming in the ocean. The Journey stays securely on my wrist and has never come off in the water, and both the patina and the Rod of Asclepius symbols have not faded.

The Journey Bracelet also became a valuable teaching moment for my 10 year old friend “BrownEyedGirl," who I’ve written about several times, before.  

The Lesson

Brown Eyed Girl and I made our way past the crowds and through the waves - the storms off the coast meant the waves were good and the currents were strong - we went out deep and began body surfing  

One wave took me all they way to the shallow water - and as I stood up, Brown Eyed Girl came running towards me and shouting: KELLY, YOU’RE WEARING JEWELRY IN THE WATER - THAT’S NOT GOOD. TAKE IT OFF AND PUT IT WITH OUR STUFF!

Sidebar: BrownEyedGirl notices EVERYTHING.

I looked down textured pattern of my Lauren’s Hope Medical Cuff bracelet and smiled. 

“No, this bracelet is for wearing all the time - even in the water. It protects me.” 

BrownEyedGirl: From the waves?

Me: NO! It’s a Medical Identification bracelet - My information is on the bracelet - My name, that I have diabetes, my Doctor’s name and phone number, incase I can’t tell them myself.

 

BrownEyedGirl: What do you mean,“if you can’t tell them?” 

Me: Liiiike if I’m in a car accident or something happens because of my diabetes and I can’t talk or I’m not awake.

Sidebar: I was trying to keep things simple and low key. Brown Eyed Girl is a 10 year old going on 40 - she was born with the personality of a little mother hen and she’s a worrier.

Brown Eyed Girl: But Kel, how do they KNOW it’s that kind of bracelet? 

Me: Good question, BEG. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you that. 

See these two red symbols on the front of the bracelet - their called the Rod of Asclepius and it’s code for Medical bracelet. Doctors, police, firemen and EMTs are trained to look for the symbols on jewelry and tatoos with the symbol - even regular people like you and me know what the symbol means. 

Brown Eyed Girl. OH, OK - I GET IT.  Kel, is that bracelet just for people with diabetes? 

Me: No, it’s for anyone with a disease or allergies, or other health issues. 

BrownEyedGirl: Hey, you wore a black and silver bead bracelet with that symbol on it on Christmas Eve. 

Me: I did! that’s my fancy Medical ID Bracelet -  but this one is to wear everyday and especially when I swim. 

Brown Eyed Girl: Kelly, can I see what the bracelet says about you? 

Me: It says I’m AWESOME... but OK. 

I took it off quickly, turned the underside of the cuff towards her while holding it tightly in my hand and let her read the info out loud, then quickly slipped it back on and tightened the cuff securely on my wrist. 

Brown Eyed Girl: I’m glad you have that bracelet, Kel. 

Hey, want to go back out in the deep water  and watch me do the Butterfly Stroke? 

Me: You mean your award winning Butterfly Stroke? The one you won a 1st place medal for at swim clinic a few weeks ago? Yeah, I do!

And that’s exactly what we did... and a wonderful time was had by all ~

Speaking of winning... 

The Contest

Here’s your chance to win a $50 egift certificate, courtesy of Lauren’s Hope.

The Rules

1. Leave a comment on this blog post stating why you'd like to win the Lauren’s Hope gift certificate - and any other thoughts that cross your mind while reading this post.  

2. You or someone you love must have diabetes.
FTR: Lauren's Hope offers Medical ID Jewelry for women, men and children. 

3. The winner will be chosen announced here on the blog, Monday, August 8th and the winning entry will be chosen by random.org

4. If you win, you have 48 hours to email me (kellykunik@gmail.com.) or facebook me with your name and email address.

If I don't hear from you by Wednesday, I will choose a new winner. 

As I stated previously, Lauren’s Hope gave me both bracelets, free of charge. 

And while I appreciate that kind gesture, it was up to me if wore them or wrote about them. 
As you can see, I did both. But as you all all know, my thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone~ 

The Winners Of The Lilly Diabetes/Disney T1 Diabetes Books & L.L.Bean® Backpacks Are..........

Thanks to Tuesday's schedule getting moved to Monday because of the impending snowstorm, today's post was ever so slightly delayed. 
With that being said, I'm proud to announce that the 8 winners of the Lilly Diabetes/Disney Backpacks are: 

Abby Travis

Misty 

Emily Evans 

Tracy T1 D Kyson

Stacey 

Patty Knight 

Andrea Rotterman 

Lauren 

CONGRATS & please email me at: KellyKunik (at) gmail (dot) com, with your mailing addresses  by Wednesday so I can get your bookpacks out to you on Thursday! 

If I don't hear from you by Thursday morning I'll have to give your prize to someone else - And I don't want to do that. 

And if you didn't win - The books are available in digital format at: http://diabetesaliciousness.blogspot.com/2015/01/giveaway-lilly-diabetesdisney-type-1html

Giveaway: Lilly Diabetes/Disney Type 1 Diabetes Book Shelf & L.L.Bean® Backpacks!

A bounty of Lilly/Disney books & and a L.L. Bean® backback to boot! 
Lilly Diabetes sent me a boatload of chartreuse (one of my favorite colors,) L.L.Bean® packpacks that were specially designed by the  over at Lilly Diabetes and L.L.Bean®. 

Each backpack comes with a customized Emergency Contact tag sewn inside. 

 I’ve photoshopped my name/info on the tags :) 
Not only do you get the backpacks come with the special tags sewn in & ready for you to fill out, they are filled with the entire LillyDisney Type 1 Diabetes Bookshelf!  
Keep in mind that books aren’t available for purchase so it’s a big deal. 

Detailed descriptions of the books can be found here: http://www.t1everydaymagic.com/lilly-and-disneys-type-1-diabetes-bookshelf/
For the record: I've read everyone of these books and they're wonderful & I wish they'd been around when I was growing up with type 1!

On Monday, January 26th, I’ll pick 8 winners and share the remaining 4 backpacks with local children with diabetes in my area, including two who were diagnosed in December. 

How to enter: EASY. Leave a comment stating why you’d like to win the Lilly/Disney book  L.L.Bean® filled packpacks and I’ll announce the winners on Monday morning.

**VERY IMPORTANT: In order to win, I must be able to contact you - If your blogger profile doesn’t have a current email address, add one ASAP. 

*This contest is for U.S. residents only. 
All winners chosen by Random.org

**

Good luck and check back on Monday to see if you’ve won! 

** For those who don't win the bookracks, the books are available at most pediatric endocrinologist offices & in digital format at:

http://www.t1everydaymagic.com/lilly-and-disneys-type-1-diabetes-bookshelf/

** If you are one of the winners, PLEASE don't use a box cutter/or any other tool when opening your prize, you might rip the backpack - And nobody wants that~ 

Stylish & Functional: Adorn Designs Clutch Review & Holiday Giveaway!

I love things that make my life and my life with diabetes easier. 

I also love stylish, sleek and pleasing to the eye things - And I love the opportunity to give my blog readers the opportunity to win something that's all of the above. :) 

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Adorn Designs Elite Collection Clutch In Imperial Yellow Diabetes Supply Bag, out of
the box and in its original wrapping.
Dimensions:10 inches long, 6.5 inches deep & 5.1 inches thick.
Cotton Canvas - Machine washable and super easy to spot clean. 

Just before the summer started, I was contacted by  Lee Ann from Adorn Designs, a Denver based company that manufactures “High-Style/Low-Profile” designer bags for PWDs to carry their diabetes supplies. Adorn Designs line includes; clutches, insulin/meter cases, messengers bags & handbags! 
LeeAnn wanted to know if I was interested in reviewing their product.
I was!
WHY? Because I like bags that are stylish, functional and keep me organized. 
And if that bag will do all of the above regarding my diabetes supplies, I like it even better! 
So I picked out a bag and used it daily. And by “used it daily,” I mean I traveled with it on a plane, in my car and on my person on a daily basis.

I chose a clutch from Adorn's Elite Collection in Imperial Yellow that retails  for $35.   
I LOVE the color yellow and love the idea of clutch, but I never carry a clutch because I can never find one that will fit all my D supplies!  
Adorn's Elite clutch was large and really sleek, not bulky. I could fit it in my carry-on, my computer bag or carry it alone as my clutch for the evening. 
I lOVED that the outside is water proof (and iced tea/coffee proof/ wine proof,) and that all I had to do was wipe off any spill or blood from the exterior with a damp paper towel. 
*A huge plus: I could view all my D supplies out without out actually taking them out of the bag and that feature really came in handy while sitting (and by sitting I mean CRAMMED) in my seat on flight to California this past October. 
I just reached into my bag for the clutch, put it on the tray table and opened it, grabbed what I needed and did what I had to do.  

Everything diabetes (and non D related) at a glance - And after being
spot cleaned! 

There’s lots zippered compartments for diabetes supplies in the clutch, but it also allowed me to have space non d items like my favorite lip gloss, a mirror and comb &  
a compartment where I could keep my money/receipts organized when I traveled. 

The clutch also fit easily into my beach cooler and I was able to put a frio in it, no problem! 
For weekend trips to friends in other states, the Adorns clutch was key. 
I put all my D supplies in that clutch and threw it in my black over night bag. The Imperial Yellow color made it easy to find in a black lined bag.  
Also: Regarding the interior. I did manage to have blood spatter drop pattern, that was CSI worthy while I was traveling. 
I waited a good month (I’d love to say I was SUPER BUSY, I kind of was, but I was also being really lazy,) before I put a little SHOUT on tooth brush, scrubbed and rinsed under cold water. It took all of 5 minutes to remove the spots and I wish all my laundry was that easy to clean.

Bottom line: I LOVE my Adorn Elite Clutch in Imperial Yellow - I really do! 
It’s functional and beautiful and id defies Murphy’s Law when it comes to diabetes and blood letting.
Also, I used it as actual clutch a few times (wish it had a wristlet so I could swing it around my wrist :) and non PWDs were like: I LOVE YOUR BAG and I was like: THANKS, ME TOO! 
And it was wonderful to go out with smart looking clutch sans the worry of “where will I put all my diabetes crap!” 

Now for the giveaway part of this post: You guys have a chance to win an Adorn Clutch!

Here's How: Leave comment saying why like to win one. 

If You’re A Dude: No worries, you can choose from one these fine cases!

Who Can Enter: Anyone with diabetes or who loves someone with diabetes.

RULES: The Adorn winner will be announced on Monday morning, December 22nd, which means you have until Midnight Sunday the 21st to leave a comment. 
And please, if you leave a comment under “Anonymous” or under your Google+  account, make sure you leave your email address. If you win and I can’t contact you - The Adorn bag goes to someone else. 

Bonus: Even if you don't win, you can still get 15% off your Adorn Designs purchase by entering 15off at checkout - So you everybody wins!

All comments are approved before published. 
Winner chosen by Random.org

My Carry-On Bag at a glance. 

Today's Giveaway: KIND, Gluten-Free & Super Delicious~

The 5 winners of Wednesday's Medtronic's Lenny The Lion Plush Pump Case, giveaways are: 

Brittany Byrd

Kimberly Schuld

Amy Bozza

Rachael Saunders

Tamara Moyer

Congratulations and PLEASE email me, ASAP at kellykunik@gmail.com with your mailing addresses. 

If I don't hear from you by Sunday evening your prize will go to someone else.

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Today's Giveaways is all about being KIND & DELICIOUS
photo courtesy of KINDSnacks Facebook page.

Today's giveaway is KIND, gluten-free, delicious and in my experience, super easy to bolus for! 

Today's giveaway is 16 delicious, gluten free KINDSnacks bars from KINDSnacks "Nuts & Spices" collection and includes the following SUPER DELICIOUS flavors: 

Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan 

Madagascar Vanilla Almond 

Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt 

Cashew & Ginger Spice 

Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt 

Dark Chocolate Chili Almond 

Caramel Almond & Sea Salt 

Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond

Why I'm a fan of KIND bars: As I mentioned above, the bars are super delicious, gluten-free, low in carbs and I've found them to be incredibly easy to bolus for. 

Also, they travel well - And that's important when it comes to snacks, traveling and working out - At least for me. 

How To Enter: Easy. Leave a comment as to why you'd like to win those 16 delicious KIND bar and please, MAKE SURE that if your signing in under "Anonymous," you leave me your name and email address. Because even if Random.org picks you as the winner, you won't win if I don't have your contact info. 

Deadline: I'll announce the winner on Monday Morning so you the weekend to leave a comment. 

The winner will be chosen by Random.org

Giveaway: 5 Lenny The Lion Plush & Pump Carrying Cases

Today's the first in a series of blog giveaways that I mentioned last week and I'm really excited! 

I LOVE giving gifts because it makes me happy - And today's giveaway fits the happy bill for sure! 

Today's Giveaway: 5 seriously cute Lenny The Lion plush pump carrying cases. 

Lenny The Lion is Medtronic's official ambassador for children with diabetes and
he's awesome! 

Why I love Lenny: Because he's super cute and functional and if I was little, I'd snuggle up to Lenny when it was time to take a nap or go to sleep.

I know he'd be a great friend and make me feel safe and there's a good chance that I'd tell him all my secrets and tuck my insulin pump and tubing, all snug as bug in his secret zippered pouch~ 

How to Enter: Super easy. You have from now until Friday December 12th to leave a comment saying why you'd like to win a Lenny The Lion pump carrying case. 

I'll announce the 5 winners on Friday afternoon on the blog and the Diabetesaliciousness FaceBook Page. 

Who Can Enter: Anyone living with diabetes or who loves someone with diabetes.

Important Info: Make sure that you check back on Friday to see if you win, because if you are winner, I'm going to need you to email me your mailing address so we can get your Lenny out to you, ASAP. 

PLEASE: If you leave a comment under "Anonymous," make sure you include your name & email address in the comment so if you do win, I can contact you. 

If I don't hear back from you by Monday, December 15th, your prize will be forfeited to someone else - And don't want to do that.  

All winners will be picked by Random.org 

Lenny the Lion, Plush Pump carrying case/best buddy, front view.

Lenny's back view~

Joe Solowiejczyk: A Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe

Yesterday  I wrote about my first friend with diabetes, Joe Solowiejczyk and how he came into my life way back when - And how he reappeared back in my life not so long ago. 
Today I'm writing about Joe's latest amazing endeavors in the world of diabetes (and how you can win one of those amazing endeavors,) and I'm so proud of him!
PS: There are a few blogger.com formatting issues that I have to conquer - but I'm working on them! 
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Joe Solowiejczyk: Type 1 PWD for 53 years, diabetes nurse educator, family therapist and charismatic diabetes motivational speaker - Not to mention beloved Diabetes Guru to many, both online and off. Joe is a diabetes trailblazer because he was one of the first to treat the psychological aspects of living with diabetes, not just the physical.

Some remember Joe from his time at Animas, others first met him at Children With Diabetes, and many of you haven't met him in real life - yet, but know and love him because of his highly successful (not to mention funny and informative) Diabetes Chalk Talks videos. 

Joe Solowiejczyk is very "Jersey" when it comes to his diabetes approach - Always has been. And by "Jersey", I mean Joe speaks honestly, to the point and straight from his heart when it comes to life, and living life with diabetes. It's a no B.S. zone when it comes to Joe and diabetes. And it's his Jersey attitude combined with his intricate knowledge of diabetes that has made him such a charismatic diabetes teacher and speaker. 

This past year Joe began working on two majorly fantastic projects that I believe will change the world of diabetes for the better. 

In 2013 Joe Solowiejczyk launched his new business, AMileInMyShoes.com - An offshoot of his successful consulting services for families, couples and individuals dealing with psychological & emotional aspects of living with diabetes. 
AMileInMyShoes.com was created (and I'm paraphrasing) to insure that patients and their families living with diabetes across the globe have access to the most practical and up-to-date information that’s required to manage and thrive with diabetes. 
The site's dedicated to helping PWDS (people with diabetes) and their families/partners thrive, through unique web-based presentations regarding diabetes self management and emotional coping skills - And presented in a funny and engaging way.
And via AMileInMyShoes, Joe will offer sessions with families, groups and couples via Skype.

NEXT: Joe Solowiejczyk has taking his 53 plus years of living with diabetes knowledge and wisdom and written an amazing book called "The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to the Universe", available on iTunes at the beginning of April, 2014.  

"The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to the Universe" is a digital book that is both dynamic and interactive - And it’s unlike any other book on diabetes out there for several reasons: 

1. It’s written by Joe and there’s only one Joe Solowiejczyk

2. "The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to The Universe" engages you - literally and figuratively because It’s the only book of it’s kind to tackle diabetes in the multimedia format that is truly unique to apple's ibook authors.

Joe Solowiejczyk of AMileInMyShoes.com presents:
A Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe~
FYI: That's Little Joey  - He's your official tour guide~

"The Type 1 Diabetes Guide to the Universe" is presented in such away that you as the reader(s) feel involved and engaged but never overwhelmed. And because the ibooks format is so interactive, the reader has no choice but to become engaged in the topic and the discussions. Personally, I love that I was reading all this great info I had the opportunity to hear interviews with others who have walked in your diabetes shoes.

In Joe’s own words: 
The Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe isn't just another book on diabetes management, the book integrates the psychological and emotional aspects of coping and living with diabetes on a daily basis into the warp and woof of the book. 

The book has general diabetes management discussions around injections, tweaking blood sugars results/ patterns and tweaking insulin doses -all that kind of stuff. 

But at the same time the book addresses the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of living with diabetes. 

Kelly: SPIRITUAL? Psychological and emotional aspects are important, but the spiritual aspects -  I love that!

Joe: Yes, spiritual as in POWER vs POWERLESSNESS. 
The one profound and shared experience that 100% of all parents with a child diagnosed with Diabetes experience is the feeling powerlessness, which is deep and profound. 
And the pain caused by feeling powerlessness can allow you to get stuck in that place of pushing down harder in all aspects. Pushing down harder on blood sugar numbers. Pushing down harder on the nagging the other spouse - That all about feeling powerless - And it's not a good place to get stuck in. 
And then if that’s not bad enough, there's inability to make diabetes go away - you can’t fix this. It’s not about fixing diabetes or making it go away - it’s about managing and moving on with this - It’s about acceptance and letting it go. So in those areas, they are psychological concepts, but I think they’re more related to spiritual in the sense of existential crisis as in coming to terms with the reality. 
Yep, they lie in the psychological realm for sure, but I think they’re more spiritual. 
particularly about he acceptance and letting go and healing in the sense of your heart gets better.

Kelly: I like it. 

Joe: It’s a bit like the Serenity Prayer.
Kelly: I was going to say it has a 12 step feel, without actually having a 12 step feel. Does that make sense? 
Joe: YES  and YES, TOTALLY! 

Joe: It’s the first type of book of its kind from a technological perspective 
because it uses the cutting edge technology of the ibook author software. 
There’s embedded videos and interactive quizzes, videos of me talking with  
families as if they were in my office, being educated and counseled. 
Videos of families talking about their experiences of living with diabetes. 
So my hope is that it will be like a Harry Potter book.

Kelly: It has a very "Daily Prophet" feel to it, a’ la the Daily Diabetes Prophet!
Joe: Exactly! And the idea is for the book to not only be helpful re: information 
it contains, but for the book be healing -THAT’S THE BIG ONE.

Like I said, it's the first diabetes book of its kind. 
There are no other diabetes books out there that really integrate the family and the daily psychological aspects of diabetes. No other diabetes manual,no other healthcare manual for that matter, integrates the interactive elements, etc. 

Kelly: Will the book interactive format, allow for periodic updates? 

Joe: It will. Every 6 months there will be different videos , different quizzes and different information updated to keep it current and to keep it fresh and changing and dynamic - sort of like diabetes is. 

Kelly: Will those upgrades be included with the initial price of the book, which is $34.99?  

Joe: YEP!

Kelly: OK, That’s a great deal! 

Kelly: I read somewhere there that there's a recommended order to the book, but that there is no real order to the book - Is that true? 
Joe: That is correct - You should start at the beginning  & go to the end, but the way that the book is constructed, you can jump around from place to place if you want. 
Stay in one place if you want, but lets say that you’re in a chapter on insulin dose adjusting and there’s a video about Sebastien Sasseville  & you want to learn more about him you, can go to that chapter. 

It’s geared to allow people to do it in their own diabetic style. 
So if you want to use more video, fine. 
If you want to use more content, fine. 
Maybe you want to jump around a little bit, fine - You'll always be able to go back to where you are. 
The video content is reminiscent of a road-trip in itself. We started interviewing people at ChildrenWithDiabetes, and then continued interviewing people throughout the US and Canada,then the UK, Australia & New Zealand. SO there are videos from all around the world. 

Kelly: it’s global in every sense of the word. 
Joe: Including that the book contains info in both milligram per deciliters and milligrams. Because the book is an international one, so there’s no adjusting or conversions. The information Is clear and concise and you'll know what you're looking at.

Kelly: So.... What do you think our friend Dr. Lester Baker would think of this book? 

Joe: I think he’s looking down and smiling and telling me it’s about time! 

But I think he’ll give me a little dispensation/wiggle room -The ibook technology wasn't available until recently and that technology is key because it allows the readers the choice of accessing each chapter's concept by reading the content or accessing it  by watching the video, so the reader will be able to get feel of what the chapter is about.

So yes, I think Lester Baker is happy... And I think he’s smiling in a knowing kind of way - And I think he’ll be happy it’s dedicated primarily to him and a few others Kelly. 
Kelly, Lester is in every page of it.  

Kelly: So you're telling me that I’m going to hear my old pediatric endo’s (Dr. Lester Baker’s) voice?

Joe: Yep he’s embedded in it, like the videos. 

Kelly:That makes me very happy. 

Sidebar: I did hear Dr. Baker’s voice throughout the book and absolutely made me happy.

Kelly: Will there be any follow up books? 

Joe: There will be follow up books! One on celiacs and diabetes and another on diabetes and exercise with Sebastien Sasseville. 

Kelly: What about a book tour? 

Joe: Yep, I'm working on it! 

Kelly: So Joe, what’s the one thing you want people to take away from reading this book? 

Joe: I want them to feel healed I want them to feel safe and healed... and not alone. OK, that’s 3 things. 

Kelly: That’s OK, considering all you're giving us, I’ll let you slide~ ;) 

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Are you guys excited to read A Type 1 Diabetes Guide To The Universe, when it comes out on iTunes?  
Would you like to win a copy? 

You can! Just leave a comment on this post as to why you're stoked about Joe's 
book & you'll have the chance to win one of two digital copies of "A Type 1 Diabetes Guide to The Universe," that Joe has generously donated to Diabetesalciousness! 

Since the book is digital, it doesn't matter if you live in the US or abroad - You're 
still eligible to win a copy~ 

All winners will be chosen by random.org and the 2 winners will be announced Monday Morning!  GOOD LUCK!