invisiblebracelet.org

Do you wear a medical alert bracelet? Tired of the hassle? Check out invisiblebracelet.org a virtual medical id bracelet awaits.

What is iB?

* Like a virtual medical ID bracelet, iB is a HIPAA-compliant web service that allows its members to share vital health information during emergencies with local Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers.

* iB increases the ability of paramedics to provide proatvie care and save more lives.

* iB improves coordiantion of care for patients transported by ambulance/

* iB members designate "In Case of Emergency" (ICE) contacts that can be immediatley notified via text message opr email when transport is provided.

How it works.

* Patients securely register vital health information (i.e., allergies, medications, chronic conditions, insurance) online so it may be accessed electronically bu authorized EMS providers in an emergency.

* Patient is mailed an iB membership card with a unique PIN printed on stickers for driver's license or ID badge and a key fob for a keychain or backpack.

* Membership is a one-time fee of $5 a person. A yearly renewal fee is only $3. Group discounts are available for 25 plus members.

* Paitent can update their account and ICE contacts as needed or by using auto reminders.

* Register privately and securely online at www.invisiblebracelet.org

IF INVISIBLE BRACELET IS NOT IN YOUR AREA****************
- All it takes is a call to your local EMS to have them register...it is FREE!

HOPE is in the CURE

March 9, 2009, Washington, DC -- The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide and the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research, praised President Barack Obama for the Executive Order officially repealing the existing policy limiting federal research funding for embryonic stem cell research to cell lines established prior to August 9, 2001.

"We're very grateful to President Obama for setting in place a policy to fully explore this promising field of science," said new JDRF President and CEO, Dr. Alan Lewis. "President Obama's Executive Order is a strong signal to patients, scientists, and the nation that we have his full support to pursue science that may accelerate progress to new treatments and possible cures for diabetes."

Type 1 diabetes affects as many as 3 million people in the U.S., causing the immune system to attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas so that the body no longer uses sugar to create energy. There is no cure for type 1 diabetes. Research into human embryonic stem cells could speed the development of a cure for diabetes by helping researchers better understand how the disease occurs and eventually derive insulin-producing cells that are safe to use for transplantation. These discoveries are years away, but federal guidance and funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help speed scientific progress.

"This is an exciting day for children and adults living with type 1 diabetes, their families, and everyone with a connection to diabetes who have worked for years to remove restrictions to this research," said Dr. Lewis. "Now researchers, physicians, and ethicists at NIH can make decisions on ethical research based purely on sound science."

Is it that normal??

Lately I have been so busy that the days just go by in a whirl. My diabetes care hasn't suffered, however I may be going a little crazy...

The other night I moved my hand to my stomach to check my pump site (as I often do, maybe I am just a little OCD, or maybe it is because one time I fastened my dress in my site and was about five minutes from DKA, who knows?). When my fingers drifted over the site I realized my pump wasn't connected. Frantically I grabbed the tubing, which was connected...to another site...

I am so used to wearing a site I didn't realize that I still had one in...for two days...I wore two sites.

Maybe I need a vacation :)

Lost Motivation???

Earlier this year, Kerri motivated me to start my own blood sugar log in order to hold myself accountable for the things I put in my mouth...look how far I got...

Don't judge me on the amount of cheetos I eat :)

Hope for the Future

In his Inaugural Address, President Barack Obama told us that chief among his objectives is to "restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost."

As the Executive Director of the Tulsa Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, I couldn’t be more thrilled, and eagerly anticipate the new administration moving forward to explore areas of science that will lead to cures for diseases such as type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes strikes more than 30,000 Americans each year, more than half of them kids. Until a cure is found, people with type 1 must test their blood sugar and inject themselves with insulin (or use a pump) multiple times each day, every day of their lives. Insulin is not a cure for type 1, and it doesn’t prevent diabetes complications like blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, or nerve damage. Research to find a cure is the only course of action – a course that can only be accelerated by an Administration committed to using science to raise the quality and affordability of health care.

The mission of JDRF is to support research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications. Since 1970, JDRF has spent $1.3 billion to uncover ways to fund science to reverse the immune system attack that causes diabetes, restore normal blood sugars, prevent or reverse the devastating complications the disease can cause, and – until a cure is found – help people better control their type 1 diabetes, lead longer lives, and lower the risk of complications.

The new President said “There is work to be done.” On behalf of the JDRF community, we hope that much of that work is focused on using science to bring cures for disease and a better life for Americans. First on the list will be for the President to keep his promise to issue an executive order to overturn the current restrictive policy on embryonic stem cell research – which could be key to better understanding why diabetes develops and in developing new treatments for the disease.

We look forward to a time when type 1 diabetes no longer threatens the lives of millions of Americans – and costs literally hundreds of billions of dollars in health care expenses each and every year. And we’re ready to work hand-in-hand with the administration to speed the pace of research leading to a cure.

-Official Statement from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation