Jazz

Cadence has always been a bit of a watcher by nature. Every since she went through her experience of becoming diabetic, she's been standoffish of things and people that are new and different. Her white coat syndrome is entrenched in subconscious experience. A great example of that is her bicycle. I bought her a bike 2 years ago and she has always feared it yet loved it at the same time. It felt like a personal failure for us, as Nicole and I live for riding, it's always been the reason why for us. So for 1.5 years Cadence would walk her bike when we'd go to the park always fearing going too fast.   Fearful enough that her bike was always best utilized when carefully walked, not recklessly ridden.




And then there was Jazz.

 Jazz is Cadence's best friend. They share more hugs than words and everytime we go driving she asks "is that Jazz's car?". If she was in her 20's we'd probably have a stalking case on our hands but since they're only 5, it's just as cute as can be.  Jazz took to riding her bike almost immediately, likely thanks to her super-parents Tracy and Rob. She ripped up and down her block with "no training wheels" well before Cadence had confidently ridden her first hill. The competitive juices of Cadence came to the surface when she found this out and she was now ready to drop the training wheels and "rock it like Jazzy-Jazz". I have to admit I was fearful of this next step since she barely liked her bike to move let alone tip over. So a day was spent with me running along side of her gradually lightening my grip. I wasn't convinced on the success of this venture thus the training wheels and a crescent wrench went along for the ride in her pink, flower-powered basket, hugged compassionately on all sides by her favourite stuffed animals. But as the evening wore on there was a moment when I stopped and she continued on 2 wheels, by herself. She stopped after 4 pedal strokes of two-wheeled freedom. Looked down at her feet to see what she had done and looked back at me with eyes that said "I did it! I really, really did it...(like Jazz)". It's a moment that almost every parent gets to experience, so I don't mean to sound like this is something that is so unique and special, a single experience in existence. But... it was our experience, amazingly unique and special... truly, a moment where she broke free of our grip on her life. It was a landmark event where she was independent of all crutches. Whether she felt this is for her to answer but I can only tell you that she has changed immensely since that moment in our eyes.

A week later, Cadence raced her first Triathlon in Windermere, with Jazz of course. I can tell you it was the most fun I've ever had in a race and I hope she felt the same way. It was so amazing to see her go through her mental race prep, the ingrained genetic traits that you pass on indirectly to your children. Before a race, I usually get quiet for awhile and look on in the distance focusing on my headspace. Right before the start, i become nervously giddy and social with everyone around me. It was so cool to see that in her. I can only hope she has better success than me ;P .

The race was an absolute BLAST! A 50m swim to transition...hugs with Jazz, then a 1.5km bike ride to transition...hugs with Jazz, and then a 500m run of which I was at her side for the whole thing. It was just an incredibly cool moment. She of course kicked it at the line and "beated Jazz" but she described it as "I winned before Jazz winned". Jazz would get her back next race however, grabbing the victory in the last 25m of the race. Well played Jazz!






"I WINNED"

Cadence is a different kid since she dropped those training wheels and never looked back. She has become brave, adventurous, mischievous, and we love it. She wants to bike everywhere, explore, and do stuff. She is bolusing her own insulin now, doesn't cry for infusion site changes, has even decided she wants to try and do one herself soon. It's really amazing. The added bonus to all of this newfound independence and confidence is that it's rubbing off on Hailey. She can't use her brakes just yet but she's all about dropping her training wheels! We're tempering that process. Additionally, Nic and I have become re-passioned with cycling and fitness . We're back into it and man does it feel good. So a big thanks goes out to Jazz.  A big thanks to my Cadence, since you Winned, we winned!

Kids need a challenge to help them explore what's possible.  To hold them back from experience serves to hold you as a parent back.  Allow your kids to explore and be mischievous, in what they discover could be a great awakening for your own spirit.



Onward without restraint,
b.



Oh and also just a quick little P.S. - in all of the stuff that's happened this summer I'd just like to say: F*CK YOU Diabetes, our last A1C was 6.9!

Blinders

Shame on the Calgary Board of Education, the legal team, the administrators, and any and all involved in putting the health of Calgary's student body behind convenience.

I'm angry, check that I'm really angry. Cadence has been going to Kindergarten for the last 6 months and is loving it. She is praised by her teacher, and beloved by her classmates. I'll never forget how incredibly humble, proud, and surprised she was when she had made all these new friends. Diabetes puts a child on the outside at times, they're different, they're fragile in many's eyes. She loves it there because she feels good, they make her feel good, and for the first time, the primary concern of those around her is actually her...not her blood sugar. It's freedom.

Our teacher, took it upon herself to learn how simple her insulin pump is to operate and how utterly hard it is to do it wrong. We have no expectations of decision making but instead created a flow chart that states if she is this number - do this, and/or call us. It has been working wonderfully. We've had no incidents of any kind and her sugars have been great throughout the winter. We love her for that, the first day Cadence came home with a star shaped post-it note stating her sugar was this, gave this amt. of insulin. It allowed my wife to re-engage in her career as a Chiropractor, get back to doing what she's so very good at. Life has been approximating normal for the first time since 7.7.19 and it's been a beautiful change.

But leave it to a lumbering sloth of an organization like the Calgary Board of Education to screw it up.

We got a call this week from the assistant principle stating that the board had a meeting about kids with diabetes. You know, a meeting about my kid that I wasn't fucking invited to. Where the group decided that "there were too many kids being diagnosed" thus the school staff was no longer permitted to give any help to the diabetic, no pump help, no blood-check help, etc. Basically saying: "too bad you have a fatal life-long disease kid, but don't bother us with it, you're on your own, now go play in traffic." I'm not naive, I get there is a liability component to this, but if my kid goes into DKA at the school because no one was willing to help her? Liability goes both ways.

So without consultation with parents, they take a perfectly willing teacher away from helping us provide a nurturing educational environment for Cadence and institute a policy that diabetics are hands off. But don't worry, if your kid needs an epi-pen for an allergy you'll have a line-up of eager volunteers though. Insulin shouldn't be discriminated against.

My favourite part of the conversation was how Cadence would not qualify for a nurse's aid to help her out as "it's very expensive, and it's not like her condition affects her cognitive ability." Oh like a diabetic coma is a perfect state to learn in. **deep breath**

The Calgary Board of Education with this decision has now taken a great program and successfully outcast my kid, eliminated my wife's capacity to work for the next 3-4 years, disrupted her social circles by Mom or Dad having to come to every snack time and lunch time to deliver insulin, and did all of this without consultation. Thanks a bunch for putting your convenience over my daughter's health, and quality of education. Thanks a bunch for deciding to be indifferent.

b.