Select Health Commercial

 Here is our commercial!! It still makes us laugh every time we watch it. We might die if we actually see it on TV!

Our bus ad.

Our magazine ad.

Our billboard!

You will have to let me know if you see us around town!

Lights, camera...action!

We were selected by our health insurance company to share our story in their new ad campaign.  It really all happened so fast, it was hard to believe!  First we got a call from IHC's Select Health asking if we would be willing to do it.  I warned them that cameras make me nervous and I couldn't guarantee how I would do with an interview.  They told me not to worry about it and asked if they could have their advertising agency contact me.  I agreed.  Within the next two weeks we had many people stop by to meet us, interview us, photograph us...I suddenly felt like I was interviewing for a job that I never applied for.  It really was kind of crazy!  On a Tuesday, I got a call saying they were in the area and could they stop by for a minute...they would be here in ten minutes!  Aaaah!  Within 10 minutes a van full of 10 people arrived and filed into my house.  They were kind and forgiving of my mess. :)  They asked if they could start filming here the next day.  I said sure and spent the rest of the afternoon pulling things together.  I even went and bought a new sweater.  Turns out, you don't end up seeing my house or my sweater in the commercial.  :)  But you just never know!  

They set up at 9:30 on Wednesday morning and it was the real deal.  Hair and makeup, craft services, lighting, sound...  Just like the movies.  And contracts.  We worked under the Screen Actors Guild contracts so we felt pretty official and for a day we were treated like royalty.  They interviewed me on camera for 1 1/2 hours, asking all kinds of questions about my experience with Select Health.  We wrapped up at about 2 and went to Wheeler Farm for the rest of the filming.  We didn't get done there until 7:00.  It was a long, but fun day.  Really a once (maybe twice) in a lifetime experience!  I was so excited to have the chance to do this with Krissy!

Setting up in front of our house. We caused quite the buzz in the neighborhood.

Hair & makeup

She was such a natural!

All the people it took to make our 30 second commercial!

They asked Krissy to make some silly faces...you should have seen this girl work it!  I couldn't help but think of my shy, little girl that used to be...not anymore.  This little gal is bursting with confidence and personality.  I am so thankful for her and for the way she is growing up!  

Our commercial, radio ad, bus ad and billboard (aaaahh!) are going to launch in the next few weeks! I will post everything when I get my copy.  

the purple pancreas

So, this is "the" pump that we love so much!! It was been such a blessing to have good insurance again this year...(love you Select Health!) I figure in the last three years we have done around 4300 shots at probably 5ooo finger pokes! So, as you can imagine we are delighted to have this pump that eliminates the need for shots, although we are still doing finger pokes. :) I had to do so much paperwork and record keeping for our doctor in order to prepare for the pump. I am so grateful to have made it through the process...and even more grateful Krissy likes it and is doing great!

3rd Diabetes Birthday...already

Way back on February 24 we "celebrated" ;) Krissy's third diabetes birthday with a surprise cousin party at Chuck E. Cheese's. This year we really had reason to celebrate. Early in the day we took her to get her insulin pump, which is a huge milestone for us that will really help improve her control and her long-term health. We surprised her afterward with a party at one of her favorite places.

We are so proud of you Krissy. She is learning at a young age that she can do hard things and she has a fantastic attitude through it all!

One month already

It has been a month since Krissy was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. So far our approach of one-day-at-a-time is working well. Lots of good days have turned into a good month. We have learned a lot and cried a lot, but I would say we are all doing great. Krissy has come a long way. A month ago she was the kid that freaked out about having her temperature taken or standing on the scale at the doctor's office. These days she is taking her shots like a champ. She rarely complains about poking her fingers to check her blood sugar. I am thankful she is brave and resilient. We have had so much great love and support from friends and family. Tiff lets Krissy give her her shots. Krissy likes checking her blood at the same time as Papa. Mike, Hollie, Erik & Brittany have all taken the plunge and given themselves shots for Krissy to see. (We are always looking for volunteers, so let me know if you are interested! :) Christian (Krissy's cousin who is 4) asked for a shot one night when I was giving Krissy her shot. He wanted to show Krissy how brave he could be. He sat right on my lap and didn't even flinch when I injected his arm with saline solution.

I realized how quickly we have made this lifestyle transition when I was talking with my sister-in-law, Dani, earlier this week. We were discussing how sick her kids have been this winter and I mentioned how lucky we have been not getting sick...oh, wait, except for getting a chronic disease...

Last night Krissy got the throw-ups & it was a good test of my new "Sick-Day Management" skills. She finished throwing-up by midnight and seems much better today. I am crossing my fingers that she just ate something that upset her tummy.
All in all, we are doing great. Thank you to all of you for your love and support. Here is to many great months ahead!

Hello Diabetes...

...welcome to our home. It sounds like you are here to stay for a while, so come on in and get comfortable, but realize we are in charge of this ship! Krissy is doing so well and everyone is so kind and thoughtful to ask about her. I thought it might be fun to share a bit of our routine. These pictures, while a bit sad, are so precious. I am sure someday we will look back on these and laugh. This is the morning shot ritual, we check her blood sugar, mom gets the shot ready and Krissy goes to hide.

Eventually she comes out and we take care of business. Sometimes mom gets a shot too, other times she gives a shot to her doll Sophie. (Then we go on to repeat this a few  more times each day.)  In the end it is okay because she gets to pick a toy out of The Bag. (If you haven't heard about the bag, keep reading.) She has even gotten to the point where she will ask to test her blood sugar just so she can pick a toy. We will have to work on this one. :) But for now, if it works I won't fight it!
Way to be a trooper Krissy. I know this isn't easy, but we can do it!

Heaven Sent!

The day we got home from the hospital, which was a week ago yesterday, my friend Melissa showed up with this big bag full of wrapped toys. She told Krissy she could pick out a present to open each time she had to get a shot. Call it bribery, call it what you want, but it has been such a lifesaver! Look at it, you can basically see the goodness radiating from it! Now we loving refer to this as "The Bag". It seems like every where we go we pick up something new to go in The Bag.
What a fantastic idea. Thank you so much Melissa! Melissa's blog is linked to mine, if you haven't had a chance to check it out yet I would highly recommend it! I feel lucky to have such a great friend.

A Krissy update

She really is laughing here.  Don't confuse this with torture...not that she hasn't had some of that too!
Check out all of these presents!  She really has been spoiled, and every bit has helped.
Spending time with aunt T, who definitely understands what she is going through.

 
Tonight Krissy was sitting on the kitchen counter and she stood up and bonked her back on the cabinet.  It definitely hurt and definitely left a mark.  Poor girl.  We were discussing the fact that she has had a hard week.  But soon we started to list all the good things that have happened this week too. We really have been blessed.  We have received so many well wishes & gifts. We understand now, at a whole new level, how comforting it is to be in so many people's thoughts and prayers.  It has truly been so heartwarming. Everyone has been so thoughtful and kind.

Krissy is doing great (minus the few times a day we pin her down to give her a shot).  I wanted to share some pictures of our time in the hospital.  You can see she looks healthy and happy.  I hope they will give peace to anyone out there who has been worrying about her.  

Gratitude

Ah, where do I start?  We have had one crazy week.  One week ago tonight I was busy rushing around, trying to get us ready for a trip to St. George.  We spent the weekend there watching Kyle ride in a 100 mile bike race.  I could tell something was not quite right with my Krissy.  She was drinking and going to the bathroom a whole lot more than she usually does.  Based on past experience, this made me very nervous.  By the time we got back to Orem I was sick to my stomach.  Literally.  We went straight to my parents house to check her blood sugar.  We did a quick test on my dad's monitor and when the results came back as CRITICAL HIGH  we knew our lives had changed forever.  We (me, my Mom, Dad, Tiff, & Kyle) all stood there for a minute and cried.  After that we went straight to the hospital.  They quickly admitted her and we spent the next three days in Pediatrics.  Everyone was surprised at what good condition she was in, as we had noticed the symptoms very early.

So, now we are home, feeling pretty in control of the situation one moment and wondering if this is just a bad dream the very next minute.  Krissy is amazing!  She is quickly adapting to her new life.  Of course this won't be easy, but we truly have the most supportive family & friends that you can imagine.  Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for you.  It is amazing how much strength it gives us to hear that people are thinking about us and praying for us.

We are determined to control this situation, not to have it control us.  When I got home from the hospital I read this post on my sister Hollie's blog.  It completely sums up how we feel...

"I guess we all understand that the only thing we can count on is change.  Everything is always changing and we learn to find new normals.  Yesterday, our family had more change.  My super cute, three-year-old niece Kristen was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  Unfortunately, this disease is far too common in our family.  We already know the ins and outs of living with this disease and appreciate how normal lives can be.  It just doesn't seem fair when it's a child.  When I was thinking about the changes my sister would have to make and the changes that lay ahead for all of us, I realized that some things will never change.  The way I respect the calm and always perfect example of my older sister, the way my younger sister is always willing to help, the positive outlook of our mom, the quiet strength and constant concern of our dad, and the humor my brother-in-law always finds in situations.  It is so comforting to know that while life changes around us and we are always searching for new normals-the support and love of our family will never change.   We love you Krissy!"

As crazy and emotional as this has all been, there is much good that has also come out of it.  We have been the recipients of the so much kindness.  When Krissy was in the hospital it truly looked like she had just celebrated Christmas.  Her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins have been so gentle and concerned.

We have felt the love of an understanding, compassionate Heavenly Father.  Even sitting in the emergency room, pondering what we were about to face, we knew that everything would be okay.  One thing that I have always been certain of is that each of us have a plan. Challenges will come to each of us and it is our job to do the best with what we have been given.  We have felt the comforting reassurance the Spirit brings.

So, now it is one day at a time...