- Where do you live?
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- What Makes You Laugh
- We often refer to ourselves as the Looney Toone's because we are just a little crazy and love to make each other laugh. All three of our kids have contagious laughs, so once one starts it just spreads.
- Favorite Sports Team
- We love sports! We are huge Alabama Crimson Tide fans and love our Indianapolis Colts. Beyond that, all three of our kids play a lot of sports. Our boys (our oldest, Ethan, has T1) play competitive travel baseball and they wrestle and our daughter plays soccer and loves horseback riding.
- What Helps You Get Through
- Our family, friends and our faith. Putting a smile on your face every morning and thanking God for all that we have.
- Favorite Meal
- Beef Jerky and any fresh fruits. Ethan was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 2 months after his T1 diagnosis, so his snack choices changed quite a bit after that.
- Helpful Resources
- We have found that talking with other parents going through our same situation has been so helpful, not to mention therapeutic. Also, websites, such as PDK are always helpful.
- Date Diagnosed
- July 27, 2010
- Question for Everyone
- Ethan has been so positive and upbeat about his situation, until recently. He has been angry and having some issues at school. How do you deal with the "I don't want to be different anymore" and "This isn't fair" attitude?
- Diabetes Camp
- Not yet, he was just diagnosed at the end of July. We have hopes of him attending one in 2011.
- Vacation
- We love to travel. Our favorite trips are going to see our family at our cottage in North Turner, ME And also going to Grand Cayman Island. We will take our first big trip for Christmas this year to Grand Cayman, not really sure what to expect.
- Question For Team
- When do you know if your child is ready for the pump?
See the answer - What Do You Think
- I think diabetes stinks, but as my Ethan said when he was diagnosed, "It could be worse mom, I can do this."
Family of the Week
The Toone Family
10 Comments on “The Toone Family”
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CM Dec 7, 2011 (6 months ago)
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Cait M Aug 10, 2011 (10 months ago)Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I have had type 1 since i was 16 monthw (I can relate to the periods of adjustment, burnout ets) and am also a certified pump trainer for all companies. I am in graduate school at Vanderbilt now, which does give me extra free time in my schedule. The endo's office also has these resources but if you were just interested in "seeing what it was all about" i would be happy to bring over pumps and samples to look at since I am only in Nashville! let me know if I ca be of help. My email is caitlin.mcenery@gmail.com
Caitlin -
Lisa Dec 23, 2010 (1 year ago)I feel for you, and your son. Being 'different' sucks for kids trying to grow up and find their place in this world. My daughter is 10 and struggles with that sometimes. Mostly, I just listen and try to help HER figure out how she wants to handle the situation. I remind her that everyone really IS different - in different ways, but mostly I just listen and agree with her that it does stink, and it isn't fair. I tell her I'm there to help her through it. I let her get angry about Diabetes - as long as she doesn't hurt herself or anyone else, she can have a tantrum, curse Diabetes, let it out...whatever she needs. Her anger doesn't happen often, but I know it makes me angry sometimes too, so I encourage her to express herself. I've thought about counseling, and never rule it out, but so far we haven't needed that. You sound like a lovely, strong family, and I'm sure you will figure out what works for your son.
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Melanie Dec 22, 2010 (1 year ago)The first year of diagnoses is so overwhelming and stressful. Hang in there! Everything you are feeling is normal. The emotional rollercoster will get better... I promise. Our son Nate was diagnosed at just 14 months old. Nate went on the pump at 15 month. It was a great for us and allowed us to have much better control. It is a bit to learn but well worth it. Our son is now 3 1/2 and is doing great. I wish you all the best:)
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Tasha Dec 22, 2010 (1 year ago)Your son will let you know when he is ready for the pump. My son is only nine now and I think that after three years he is almost ready.
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Tasha Dec 22, 2010 (1 year ago)Ithasbeen three years for us!! Hang in there it gets easier I promise. Get to diabetes camp as soon as you can. You will learn so much and make new friends who can help you and who understand everything you are going through. FYI John Chick is a type one diabetic. He wears his pump whle he plays.
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Lexia Dec 22, 2010 (1 year ago)Our type 1 son also has celiac, and it does get frustrating to be limited. Just alway keep your attitude positive, and he'll see that and adapt it as well. Eating gluten free does get easier, just focus on the "cans" not the "can'ts". Alfredo sauce is a great substitute for the "soups" in hot dishes, and we actually like it better the "new" way.
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tasha Dec 22, 2010 (1 year ago)My daughter Paige was diagnosed with t1 november 13,2009. At first it was super stressful @ first carb counting, etc.... Its still hard when we go to Target and she can't have an icee. Shes seven now, its gotten a lot easier. I reccommend camp, paige went this past summer and she was against the pump, she came back & saw lots of other kids w/ it and we have pump class on monday. Hang in there, you'll know when the pump is right...good luck!!!!!
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Sue Taylor Dec 22, 2010 (1 year ago)Hey guys!! Just wanted to let you know things will get better & easier confidence goes a long way, be patient and let Ethan know how smart he is about his diabetes and he is different and its ok to be confused about it just talk to you about it and dont be afraid to hold teacher or coach meetings not for special treatment for him but to understand what the problem is talk to each other and always listen to Ethan some teachers can be mean and not as understanding as we would like them to be with our diabetic child, eye rolling, why do you pick my class to feel bad in, not again, thats a normal bs for you and it be a 250 bs, i think you are just using your diabetes as an excuse to not do your work, why do you have such a bad attitude and his bs be over 300, accusations like these from teachers can be devastating on a child confidence in controlling his bs and contribute to him feeling so different and being angry, so please listen to Ethan and find out what or who is causing this change in his confidence, i hope i have helped or at least gave you an ideal of what could really be going on at school my son Dalton went through this with a couple of his teachers and still i try to let him know how proud i am of him and all that he has accomplished in the past 4 yrs after being diagnosed i promise it will get easier and not all teachers are bad but just 1 is hard and bad enough.... your friend Sue Taylor
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Lydia Oppen Dec 22, 2010 (1 year ago)Speak to Ethan about pumps. Do research and involve him in the choice. Have Ethan speak with other kids on pumps. I wanted my son on a pump but he did not want one until he went to camp and saw other kids on one. The pump makes many of the school issues easier to handle and it did make life seem more"normal" for my son.
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What a wonderful family and Ethan sounds like he has wonderful support and although his age is an incredibly hard time to make these adjustments I hope and think that in time it does get easier, especially when the diagnosis is not so new, there is more flexibility, they are older, and can do things more independently. Has he interacted with others his age locally? I know of a support group very close to you that is specifically geared toward that age group and instead of meetings most of the kid's events are outings or activities. They still learn a great deal from one another but don't feel forced in a classroom, etc. Do you have a username or email and I can share it with you? I understand if you don't want to post your email but I don't see a user name to message the information in case you might be interested so please let me know!