JDRF Support for You and Your Family

I have just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
My child has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
What do I do now?

When you or a loved one is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it is a traumatic and stressful time. Fear, sadness, anger, and confusion about how to manage the disease can leave families feeling alone and overwhelmed. JDRF offers resources to support you and your family in this overwhelming and stressful time.

What can JDRF do to help?

JDRF Illinois can help with:
• Bag of Hope for newly diagnosed families
• Mentors
• Online question answering through our Online Diabetes Support Team (ODST)
• Support group and get-together information
• Additional Resources and Ways to meet other T1D families

If you have any other questions, please contact us at 312/ 670-0313 or via email at cbissler@jdrf.org.

Bag of Hope

JDRF would like to extend a helping hand with our free Bag of Hope. The Bag of Hope contains a variety of educational and comforting support materials - some geared to the child, and some geared to their caregivers. It will also provide opportunities for you to meet other individuals and families going through the similar challenges.

You may have received a Bag of Hope at the hospital where your child was diagnosed. JDRF has partnerships with several hospitals in Illinois. The Bag of Hope looks like the photo to the right. We are only able to give out one Bag per family, so please confirm you haven’t already received the Bag before completing the form.

See a clip of Executive Director Patrick Reedy talking about the Bag of Hope program

Please note: due to limited resources, we are only able to provide Bags of Hope for children and teens diagnosed within the last 3 months. If your child was diagnosed more than 3 months ago, we are happy to send you additional information and a resource packet. Please contact Christine Bissler at cbissler@jdrf.org to be sent this information.

Complete our online form to request a free Bag of Hope!

If you have questions about the Bag of Hope, please contact Christine Bissler at cbissler@jdrf.org or at (312) 423-7198.

Are you a diabetes educator, nurse or other healthcare provider? JDRF can work with you to establish a Bag of Hope partnership, where you have bags on hand to distribute to newly-diagnosed families. For more information, please contact Christine Bissler at cbissler@jdrf.org or at (312) 423-7198.

Mentors
JDRF Illinois has a team of trained mentors that are available to provide support and resources to anyone living with type 1 diabetes. We are able to help both newly diagnosed families and adults, long-time diagnosed families and adults, as well as anyone living with the day to day challenges of type 1 diabetes.

Our team of mentors consists of parents of children with type 1 diabetes and adults living with type 1. They can speak to many different experiences, as well as lend a listening ear.

To request a mentor, please email Christine Potempa Bissler.

* Mentors can only share personal experiences with you. They are not healthcare professionals and are unable to provide medical advice. Please consult your doctor for any medical questions.

The JDRF Illinois Online Diabetes Support Team (ODST)

The JDRF Illinois ODST is a group of trained volunteers who are available to answer questions submitted through our online form. Our volunteers are people living and coping with diabetes every day, who are there to provide support and resources to you.

If you have a question or concern, please complete the form below. One of the volunteers will personally respond by email. JDRF and the volunteers recognize your trust and fully respect your privacy. Our terms and conditions are listed here.

ODST Request Form

* ODST volunteers can only share personal experiences with you. They are not healthcare professionals and are unable to provide medical advice. Please consult your doctor for any medical questions.

Online Group for Young Adults
Would you like to connect with other young adults dealing with type 1 diabetes? Please join the young adult type 1 google group! This online group is designed for young adults to connect with one another in and around Chicago. This site has information on issues that may affect young adults (preparing for college, alcohol, depression, etc.) as well as an opportunity to get advice from other young adults dealing with diabetes. To join, please visit http://groups.google.com/group/type-1-diabetes-young-adult-group or email type-1-diabetes-young-adult-group@googlegroups.com to be added to the group.

Networking Get-Togethers

Networking Get-Togethers provide support for you and your family and connect you to other people who live with diabetes in your area. The groups are mixed with both parents of newly diagnosed children and parents that have been managing their children's diabetes for years. The get-togethers provide an opportunity for parents to share resources in the area, provide tips on what works for them, and a place to get support from someone who knows what you are going through.

For more information about local support groups, please contact Christine Potempa Bissler at cbissler@jdrf.org.

We are in need of volunteers to host get-togethers in other areas of Illinois. If you are interested in helping us start a new group in your area, please indicate this on the form below, and we will contact you with more details. You can also contact Christine Potempa Bissler at 312/423-7198 or at cbissler@jdrf.org for more information.

Networking Get-Together Areas :
Chicago/Northern Suburbs
Southern Suburbs/Northwest Indiana
West Suburbs
Central Illinois
Northern Illinois
Southeast Wisconsin
Southern Illinois/St. Louis Area
Indiana

Get together Information Request Form

Social Networking Web Site
JDRF has launched a social networking web site geared toward teens and young adults living with type 1 diabetes in order to help address the unique needs of a population transitioning from adolescence to adulthood with this disease.

The site is called Juvenation and can be found at www.juvenation.org. Juvenation will serve as an interactive portal for people 15-19 with type 1 diabetes, to connect with their peers and receive relevant information and advice on managing their disease. Be sure to join the Illinois Chapter group on Juvenation to keep up local activities and information!

Additional Resources and Events
JDRF is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the resources listed below, nor do the views expressed by these organizations necessarily reflect the opinions of JDRF. The information listed below is shared to help provide further information to people living with type 1 diabetes. The organizations below have requested to be included and have given their permission to be listed.

Alert Service Dogs
Alert Service Dogs (ASD) trains medial alert dogs for children and adults with type 1 diabetes. ASD gives people with diabetes freedom by offering them the ability to lead a more independent life. Service dogs detect dropping glucose levels in their owners in real-time. Properly trained scent dogs have been shown to have 85-99% accuracy in the environments for which they are trained. Not only does this improve the owner’s quality of life, but it can also lessen the impact that wide swings in glucose levels can have on their body. Visit alertservicedogs.com for more details and contact information.

Moses E. Cheeks Foundation Slam Dunk For Diabetes Basketball Day Camps
Moses E. Cheeks Foundation Slam Dunk For Diabetes Basketball Day Camps located in Chicago, Lisle and Machesney Park are FREE, not-for-profit, instructional day camps for youths who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Currently, they are the only basketball day camps for kids with diabetes in the United States.

The camps, which are open to youths from the ages of 5 to 18, teach the fundamentals of living with diabetes and a place where participants gain confidence in a safe, structured and supportive atmosphere. Each camp is designed to teach its campers the basics of the relationship between food, exercise and insulin as well as learning basketball skills. It is also designed to teach the campers how sports, illnesses and stress affect their blood sugars and how to make the necessary corrections to their insulin intake. Most importantly, the campers learn that diabetes doesn't have to prevent them from living full, active, productive and satisfying lives.

Registration for the 2012 summer camps is open!

June
June 18-20, 2012: Rockford, IL -- Harlem High School in Machesney Park, IL
June 25-27, 2012: Schererville, IN -- Franciscan Omni Health & Fitness in Schererville, IN

July
July 23-27, 2012: Lisle, IL -- Chicago Bulls Training Academy in Lisle, IL

August
Aug 6-9, 2012: Chicago, IL - De LaSalle Institute in Chicago, IL

For information about Slam Dunk for Diabetes or to register for camp, please visit their website at slamdunkkids.net.

Watch a video about the camp.

The Care of Students with Diabetes Act
The Care of Students with Diabetes Act (96-1485) became law on December 1, 2010. For general information about The Care of Students With Diabetes Act, please visit: http://thecareact.com/default.html.

Schools have opened their doors to parents, nurse educators, insulin pump representatives, even endocrinologists, all of whom have visited classrooms to talk about diabetes, demystify how its managed today, and teach staff and designated care aides how to help students.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) is advising “any member who is considering volunteering to become a Delegated Care Aide under the Act consult his or her personal attorney prior to doing so.” To read the IFT’s complete message, including the letter from their lawyer, click here.

Many people do not have personal attorneys or can afford one. That’s why if you, or a teacher you know, would like to help a student with diabetes and would like to consult an attorney, contact Suzanne Elder (Volunteer Director of Advocacy for The Care of Student with Diabetes Act) at sueelder@sbcglobal.net, who will introduce you to an attorney who specializes in this area of law at no charge.

The Diabetes Connection
The purpose of the Diabetes Connection is to provide the opportunity for children with diabetes and their families to interact and learn from one another in a fun filled environment. Please visit: www.thediabetesconnection.com for upcoming events and information.

Medtronic Events
For information on local events sponsored by Medtronic, please visit. http://www.minimed.com/events.

Fifty50 – Diabetes Supplies
Fifty50 Medical, the mail order diabetes supply company, donates 50% of its earnings to diabetes research! To date, the company has contributed $10.5 million – and pledges to continue to donate 50% of its earnings to diabetes research until a cure is found.

Fifty50 carries all brand name diabetes supplies including pump supplies, blood test meters and strips, syringes, attractive and affordable medical ID bracelets, and more. Fifty50 will file all insurance claims and ship products free to your door every month.

To learn more about how to sign up with Fifty50 Medical, please visit www.fifty50pharmacy.com, call (800) SHOP-505.

Jimmy Insulin
Jimmy Insulin is dedicated to enhancing the lives of anyone touched by diabetes. JI is a completely free service that initiates one-on-one relationships between diabetes support-seekers and diabetes guides, as well as support-seeking caregivers and those with experience. Our one-on-one connections enable those touched by diabetes a better way to transition and live in their new world by interacting with those who have successfully overcome the daily challenges of the condition. Our mission is clear. No one with diabetes will feel isolated as long as Jimmy Insulin exists. For more information about JI, please visit: www.jimmyinsulin.org.

For more information on JDRF's mentoring program, please go to our mentors section above.