How? Why!?

[updated] I found this story through Donna. It makes me sick. How, in this day in age, would ANYONE think that this poor child would have been ok without medical intervention. How did her teachers, her neighbors, her friends' parents, not realize that she was deteriorating in front of their eyes!? [ok found out she was home-schooled that explains why no authorities stepped in] But seriously. Thinking that by praying she would miraculously recover? She must have been absolutely miserable. After a few hours without insulin I know I am... for at least a month she had to go through that while her parents prayed. There is no excuse for this. None. From what I understand her siblings were taken away from the parents. Good. They should not be near children. When I read the story last night it seemed like she was diagnosed many years ago and hadn't received insulin since so my original assumption was wrong but I still believe those people should be put in jail and sentenced to the FULLEST extend of the law. Negligent homicide. I pray I never meet anyone like this...

Here's the Nancy Grace, CNN side of the story as well.

Untreated diabetes kills girl

Parents choose prayer instead of medical care

Gannett Wisconsin Media

TOWN OF WESTON -- The parents of an 11-year-old girl who died Sunday from an untreated form of diabetes prayed for the girl's health rather than seek medical intervention, police said.

According to police, Madeline Kara Neumann of the town of Weston died of diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that develops when a person's body has too little insulin. She reportedly had not received medical treatment since she was 3 years old, said Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin, whose department is investigating.

The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, were unaware their daughter's recent illness was caused by diabetic ketoacidosis, Vergin said. Although the family has no ties to a specific church or religion, he said, they prayed for her and then attributed her death to them apparently not having enough faith.

"It is our understanding that instead of seeking medical help, they chose to pray over her and their faith would heal her," Vergin said.

Madeline Neumann's aunt from California contacted the Police Department out of concerns about the girl's health and asked police to check on her niece, Vergin said. The girl, who went by her middle name, Kara, was taken by ambulance from the family's home on Maplewood Drive to Saint Clare's Hospital in Weston, where she was pronounced dead.

Marathon County Medical Examiner John Larson said diabetic ketoacidosis prevents the body from absorbing nutrients. The girl appeared abnormally lean, and Larson said her body was wasting away.

Kathy Ziembo, an advanced practice registered nurse at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, said the condition is treatable and that the hospital treats several cases of it a week.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and fatigue.

"You know if there is something wrong," Ziembo said.

A shortage of insulin causes the body to break down fat, a process that produces toxic acids known as ketones. Treatment generally takes a few days in the hospital, as patients receive insulin intravenously to replace lost fluids.

Neumann's death will be investigated further, and the findings will be forwarded to the Marathon County district attorney's office to determine if any crime was committed, Vergin said.

Police have not had previous contact with her family, he said.

The girl's mother, Leilani Neumann, is co-owner of Monkey Mo Coffee To Go in Weston. A sign posted Tuesday on the shop's front door read, "Closed due to family emergency."

The Neumanns could not be reached for comment.
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and please don't take insulin intravenously. that's just not right in any way... the article should have said saline solution not insulin...

Praying for strength.

Um yeah...

Have you ever seen Office Space? It's freaking hilarious. I could watch it a million times over and still laugh out loud each time. Well, I feel like I'm in that movie in my new office. There's the girl who stresses too much about everything... today... "oh my god! emergency!!! we need picture frames for the the congress in florida by tomorrow but the ones i found cost $90 i need everybody looking online for picture frames". But then I offered my advice to her she totally ignored me. Whatever. I wanted to say calm the f*&@ down! Geez. You stressing makes me stress and I do not like to stress. Then we have a notoriously retarded copy machine that I think would be thrown out the window had it not weighed about 5928 lbs. Someone is bound to bring a baseball bat and murder it in the Japanese- American Memorial Park next door. Then there are the memos. Lord, please help me. If these people do not stop asking about memos and getting memos signed and sending out memos I think I'll either die of histerical laughter or throw the fax machine at them. Possibly both. And the guy in the cubby hole next to me keeps asking girlthatstressesouttoomuch why she doesn't have any flair. I don't know why but it makes me giggle out loud every time. When did this become my daily life??

On a diabetes note though, my numbers have been behaving nicely... minus Easter Sunday and a little bit on Monday most likely due to weekend festivies. Oh and Saturday was crazy too... I woke up at 38! Then shot up to 300-something. I felt like ca-ca the entire day. I think I'm back in working order though.

Wohoo it's almost the middle of the week :)

Happy Wednesday!

Dom Portwood: Hi, Peter. What's happening? We need to talk about your TPS reports.

Peter Gibbons: Yeah. The coversheet. I know, I know. Uh, Bill talked to me about it.

Dom Portwood: Yeah. Did you get that memo?

Peter Gibbons: Yeah. I got the memo. And I understand the policy. And the problem is just that I forgot the one time. And I've already taken care of it so it's not even really a problem anymore. Dom Portwood: Ah! Yeah. It's just we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports before they go out now. So if you could go ahead and try to remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. All right!

Tag!

Six word memoir --

Naomi tagged me to do the six word memoir!

Here are the rules:1) Write your own six word memoir; 2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like; 3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere; 4) Tag at least five more blogs with links; and 5) Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

quiet adventurous spirit. gypsy. just breathe.

I tag: Allison, Rich, Alissa W, Brooke R and Ali L even though the last three of yall don't have blogs haha I still want to know!!

TAG YOU'RE IT!!!!!!

xoxo

jules

Just another day

"Write it in your heart that every day is the best day of the year" [emerson]

Today is my eigth year anniversary. I was diagnosed 2920 days ago but I definitely did not think that everyone of those days was the best day of the year. Times have changed and so have I and now I can do nothing but believe that each day is wonderful, even when it's not. I have an amazingly supportive family and great friends who I know will always be there when I need them. Diabetes was just another blessing in disguise. It takes time to realize and I finally did a few years ago. I'll never know if I would be the strong woman I am becoming without diabetes but part of me is glad to not know. I get angry and frustrated and want to scream and cry because of it but it will never break me.

When I was diagnosed the doctors told us that they were coming so close to a cure that it would probably happen in the "next five or ten years!". Well it's been eight but I'm in no hurry. I could be nice to not constantly check my blood sugar or carry around needles and tiny glass bottles but c'est la vie. Until there is a cure, if in my lifetime, I will live each day as is it the best day of the year.

My parents gave me a card with the Emerson quote on it and it couldn't have been more perfect. Well now I'm off to celebrate my day. I'm getting a massage ;) and probably doing some retail therapy.

To a wonderful day.

To whom it may concern:

Dear loyal readers [all 2 of you],
Sorry, I haven't updated my life details recently. I got a new job assignment and I can no longer access my email or other fun things online, during business hours, that used to keep me quite entertained throughout the day. They actually expect me to work! The nerve...
When I get home after work and working out and checking my emails, I will try my best to post something exciting that has happened...
Yours truly,
jules

Goodbye Ciao Adios

After doing lots of thinking [too much probably] I've decided to change where I'm working. There was a lot of unnecessary drama starting in the office [I'll spare the details...] so I've made up my mind to leave it all behind. The friendly co-workers and I will exchange emails and keep in touch, I'm sure. Drama stresses me out and I don't like to feel stressed out so my job hunt is in the process and I have a few leads but I know I'll land firmly on my feet. I won't settle for anything less than what makes me happy. Being where I'm working now [for the last day today!] has been enjoyable until recently. The people were awesome and I got to learn about something I'd never even thought about before! So it was a great experience, all in all. But alas, the time has come for us to part ways. On to a new adventure! This is definitely what I call living in the moment.

To Be Continued...

So since my last post I've been reading "A New Earth" like it's going out of style. I'm on page 227 and have a new matra.... "this, too, shall pass"... everything. Time is fleeting and all we have to do is enjoy it. Pains arise, happiness comes and goes but it all will "pass". Even though [for now] diabetes is not passing, it is a daily, non-stop, part of who we are, there are many levels in which we can allow diabetes to control this life we live. I accept it into my life. For awhile I fought it, only had malicious thoughts about it, wanting nothing more than to not be a part of it. Then one day, I realized how silly that is. It is a part of me, inherent in my being and I must accept this as a tiny bit of who I am. Maybe it was part of the grieving process and I've finally made it the 12th step or whatever it is that happened, I'm glad it has. I don't mind living with diabetes what I do mind is when people don't feel like they are able. You are able just probably not willing... yet. You will eventually and you'll learn just as I did that life indeed goes on whether you want it to or not. No one is stopping you from living a completely wonderful life... except you. It takes courage and patience and being able to laugh at yourself. It takes time.
AYUDA has been a major part of this process for me and I honestly don't know where I'd be without them. I've set up a donation page on FirstGiving [with a link to my page if you'll kindly direct your attention to the cute little widget on the side of your screen]. If you feel as passionate as I do about helping other with diabetes please donate... every little bit counts.
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming......
I was reading this morning on the train some more and I came across a paragraph that really made me realize how much I'm not living in the moment. "Your purpose is to sit here and talk to me, because that's where you are and that's what you are doing. Until you get up and do something else. Then, that becomes your purpose"(pg 263). Wow. Yes! I totally get it now. ::deep breath:: "Some changes may look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge"(pg 274). Diabetes can be looked at as a negative change. But is it really? I think it's the best thing that has happened to me in these past 24 years. It has given me the opportunity to become something greater than myself. It has lead me to Ecuador and the children there and AYUDA and I am so happy for that.

becoming more conscious.