Friday, May 11, 2007
Patti LaBelle Declares Herself A 'Diva-betic'!
Yesterday, as I was running errands to get ready for our monthly free DIVABETIC meeting and I stopped by the NYC Chapter of the ADA. Sexy and fabulous ADA Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, Dionne Polite, graciously packed a box of essential diabetes education materials for me to hand out at our meeting. Well, I happened to see the Diabetes Forecast magazine article featuring Patti LaBelle on the cover. I opened the magazine and practically fell out of my chair when I read the caption that said, "I'm a diva-betic!" in big pink type. Wow! What a moment.Thanks, Patti for making our day!
May Meeting Update -- How Satisfied Are You With Your Current Health Care?
If you missed last night's meeting here's a quick recap. Our meeting started with a lively tai chi demonstration from writer, Diabetes Positive contributor and DESA board member, Judith Jones Ambrosini. Afterwards, Judith announced that the newly formed New York City Chapter of DESA (Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association) will be hosting their first event, a walking tour of Central Park, in June. This month's meeting topic was: 'How Satisfied Are You With Your Current Health Care.' Women with both type and type 2 diabetes freely admitted to being disappointment with their doctors and current care providers as well asa to being frustrated by the confusing messages regarding self-care. There were a lot of questions about if and when it's okay to raise your voice at your doctor's office and demand better care. The answer, by the way, was a resounding, "yes!" Joy Pape, RN, CDE, answered various questions about the 'normal' range for numbers as well as what's the difference between an 'RD' and nutritionist for the group. Joy stressed the need for all us to go to our doctors before making any changes in our care. Bernie Hughes from Dexcom also joined us with a product preview of the Continuous Glucose Monitor. Our local NYC chapter of the ADA provided free materials to help our divas find more local and online resources to help them build a better healthcare team along with brochures about Duane Reade's free diabetes education program.
New divas attending their first meeting included: Iris and Jean. Vanetta had the biggest diva 'win' of the month! She completed her goal to keep a very detailed food journal to present to her doctor at her next visit. Tomorrow's her doctor's appointment! Way to go! And, Happy 'DB-Day' to Danielle - you look fabulous!
NEXT MEETING:
June's Topic: You Are NOT Your Number! Hosted by: Phyllis (NYC Meeting Leader) & Leslie (Membership Coordinator)
Thursday, June 14, 7-9 PM at the McBurney YMCA
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
ENERGY UP! YEAR END CELEBRATION. Monday, June 25th - Meet RuPaul and Katie Couric. Help encourage young women to stay healthy and upbeat about their bodies, minds and spirits at the annual ENERGY UP! Year End Party hosted by our favorite fitness guru, High Voltage, in midtown Manhattan. 5-9 PM. More details to follow
New divas attending their first meeting included: Iris and Jean. Vanetta had the biggest diva 'win' of the month! She completed her goal to keep a very detailed food journal to present to her doctor at her next visit. Tomorrow's her doctor's appointment! Way to go! And, Happy 'DB-Day' to Danielle - you look fabulous!
NEXT MEETING:
June's Topic: You Are NOT Your Number! Hosted by: Phyllis (NYC Meeting Leader) & Leslie (Membership Coordinator)
Thursday, June 14, 7-9 PM at the McBurney YMCA
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
ENERGY UP! YEAR END CELEBRATION. Monday, June 25th - Meet RuPaul and Katie Couric. Help encourage young women to stay healthy and upbeat about their bodies, minds and spirits at the annual ENERGY UP! Year End Party hosted by our favorite fitness guru, High Voltage, in midtown Manhattan. 5-9 PM. More details to follow
DIABETES HEALTH Announces The Debut of the 'Tunnel Of Love'
Divabetic Diabetes Program Adds a Tunnel of Love to Its Educational Offerings
Linda von Wartburg
9 May 2007
With its focus on the feminine and its message of community, Novo Nordisk’s Divabetic program is currently making its way across the nation. At Divabetic events, women are invited to explore a “Makeover Maze” of personalized diabetes education that’s light-years from the standard sterile clinical setting.
In an atmosphere of warm and convivial conversation, they learn from diabetes experts and from each other while sprucing up their personal appearance and listening to motivational speakers about how to live well with diabetes. In response to past participants’ expressed desire for more opportunity to talk about intimate issues, Divabetic has just launched the Tunnel of Love, a new educational station in the Makeover Maze where women can talk about how diabetes affects their sexual health and how best to manage their diabetes during pregnancy. It’s an opportunity for them to communicate concerns that they might be otherwise reticent to discuss, while getting answers from experts and support from their fellow Divabetics.
Divabetic is due to appear next in Los Angeles on June 16, 2007, so if a celebration of diabetes education appeals to you, go to www.divabetic.org or www.changingdiabetes-us.com and register for the event.
Linda von Wartburg
9 May 2007
With its focus on the feminine and its message of community, Novo Nordisk’s Divabetic program is currently making its way across the nation. At Divabetic events, women are invited to explore a “Makeover Maze” of personalized diabetes education that’s light-years from the standard sterile clinical setting.
In an atmosphere of warm and convivial conversation, they learn from diabetes experts and from each other while sprucing up their personal appearance and listening to motivational speakers about how to live well with diabetes. In response to past participants’ expressed desire for more opportunity to talk about intimate issues, Divabetic has just launched the Tunnel of Love, a new educational station in the Makeover Maze where women can talk about how diabetes affects their sexual health and how best to manage their diabetes during pregnancy. It’s an opportunity for them to communicate concerns that they might be otherwise reticent to discuss, while getting answers from experts and support from their fellow Divabetics.
Divabetic is due to appear next in Los Angeles on June 16, 2007, so if a celebration of diabetes education appeals to you, go to www.divabetic.org or www.changingdiabetes-us.com and register for the event.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
THE MARCH TO THE PENGUINS
This past Sunday, April 29th, DIVABETIC hosted over 120 participants at our first-ever family fitness program, MARCH TO THE PENGUINS. We co-presented this unique diabetes outreach program, which was developed with the staff from the Hall Family Center for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Mount Sinai Hospital, to encourage families affected by diabetes to 'team up' and fit fitness into their busy lifestyles. Families affected by or at risk of diabetes were invited to attend this free program.
After visiting DIVABETIC’s 3 interactive educational stations, 'Good, Better, Best', designed to encourage healthier lifestyle (goals, food and fitness) choices in families in the medical offices of Mount Sinai hospital, our 'penguin' walking teams of 10 stopped by Pedro’s Pedometer Palace to receive their official MARCH TO THE PENGUINS snack packs provided by ANIMAS CORP. (filled with a light lunch, water, pedometer and diabetes information) and then posed for photos with Dr. Rapport, the head of the Peiatric department, and their walk team captains (DIVABETIC volunteers) before leaving the offices. Each team entered Central Park at East 98th Street and then proceeded south on the walking trails of the park and stopped at our 3 designated exercise stations (jumping jacks/stretches, lunges, resistance bands/stretch), along the way hosted by the instructors from the Ultimate Karate studios in Harlem. The walk was approximately 2 miles and took our teams over one hour to complete. All eleven teams met at the pond at 72nd Street where we held a healthy picnic, awarded raffle prizes (including prizes from Pressman Toys, AVON, DIVABETIC and Nickelodeon) and presented a diabetes discussion lead by Joy Pape, RN, CDE before heading directly to the penguin exhibit at the Central Park Zoo. Once we reached the Central Park Zoo families were allowed free entrance to the zoo for remainder of the day.
Our next family oriented outreach program will be SCARY POTTER'S BROOMSTICK BASH on Friday, October 26th in the Main Lobby of Mount Sinai Hospital, followed by the faith-based program, The 3rd ANNUAL DIVABETIC HAT BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS on Friday, November 9th at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon.
After visiting DIVABETIC’s 3 interactive educational stations, 'Good, Better, Best', designed to encourage healthier lifestyle (goals, food and fitness) choices in families in the medical offices of Mount Sinai hospital, our 'penguin' walking teams of 10 stopped by Pedro’s Pedometer Palace to receive their official MARCH TO THE PENGUINS snack packs provided by ANIMAS CORP. (filled with a light lunch, water, pedometer and diabetes information) and then posed for photos with Dr. Rapport, the head of the Peiatric department, and their walk team captains (DIVABETIC volunteers) before leaving the offices. Each team entered Central Park at East 98th Street and then proceeded south on the walking trails of the park and stopped at our 3 designated exercise stations (jumping jacks/stretches, lunges, resistance bands/stretch), along the way hosted by the instructors from the Ultimate Karate studios in Harlem. The walk was approximately 2 miles and took our teams over one hour to complete. All eleven teams met at the pond at 72nd Street where we held a healthy picnic, awarded raffle prizes (including prizes from Pressman Toys, AVON, DIVABETIC and Nickelodeon) and presented a diabetes discussion lead by Joy Pape, RN, CDE before heading directly to the penguin exhibit at the Central Park Zoo. Once we reached the Central Park Zoo families were allowed free entrance to the zoo for remainder of the day.
Our next family oriented outreach program will be SCARY POTTER'S BROOMSTICK BASH on Friday, October 26th in the Main Lobby of Mount Sinai Hospital, followed by the faith-based program, The 3rd ANNUAL DIVABETIC HAT BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS on Friday, November 9th at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon.
DIVABETIC Opens The Tunnel Of Love
Since we kicked off of our national tour of Novo Nordisk Presents Divabetic - Makeover Your Diabetes outreach events, geared towards women affected by, at risk of or living with diabetes and their guests, in February 2007, our staff has found that taking diabetes education out of the clinical setting often times means talking about more aspects of diabetes care than just women's A1C numbers. In the five various cities around the country where the program has already been presented women have expressed interest in learning ways to overcome other issues regarding their diabetes care such as burn-out, depression and often, a lack of desire.
“Women who come to our events want to talk about the things they don’t like to talk about with their doctors, like sex,” says Max Szadek. “I guess it’s because our team wears t-shirts instead of lab coats!”
In response to this interest from divas, DIVABETIC has added a new station to the event’s interactive diabetes education component, THE MAKEOVER MAZE, called the Tunnel of Love. At the Tunnel Of Love, local CDE’s and guest host, Mother Love, will discuss several topics including: the role of lovers, caregivers, and friends and how to effectively help, support, and encourage the people we love living with diabetes as well as how sexual desires and responses are affected by diabetes with participants. Plus, women will have the opportunity to discuss the best ways to manage their diabetes during pregnancy.
“It’s become clear to us that the popularity of our programming is a result of developing new, entertaining ways for people to learn about EVERY aspect of their diabetes and not just what’s tried and true,” said Max Szadek. “Since our education is so personalized (women and their guests interact with CDE’s on a one-to-one basis) we have the opportunity to change topics from city to city and alter our presentation to accomodate their needs."
The Tunnel of Love will make its debut at Novo Nordisk Presents Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes at the Paramount Theater at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, on Saturday, June 16th. This event also features personalized diabetes education on food, fitness, foot care, blood pressure as well as an assortment of free spa and salon services such as mini-massages, manicures, makeup applications and image consultations for guests. For more information or to register go to: divabetic.org or changingdiabetes-us.com
“Women who come to our events want to talk about the things they don’t like to talk about with their doctors, like sex,” says Max Szadek. “I guess it’s because our team wears t-shirts instead of lab coats!”
In response to this interest from divas, DIVABETIC has added a new station to the event’s interactive diabetes education component, THE MAKEOVER MAZE, called the Tunnel of Love. At the Tunnel Of Love, local CDE’s and guest host, Mother Love, will discuss several topics including: the role of lovers, caregivers, and friends and how to effectively help, support, and encourage the people we love living with diabetes as well as how sexual desires and responses are affected by diabetes with participants. Plus, women will have the opportunity to discuss the best ways to manage their diabetes during pregnancy.
“It’s become clear to us that the popularity of our programming is a result of developing new, entertaining ways for people to learn about EVERY aspect of their diabetes and not just what’s tried and true,” said Max Szadek. “Since our education is so personalized (women and their guests interact with CDE’s on a one-to-one basis) we have the opportunity to change topics from city to city and alter our presentation to accomodate their needs."
The Tunnel of Love will make its debut at Novo Nordisk Presents Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes at the Paramount Theater at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, on Saturday, June 16th. This event also features personalized diabetes education on food, fitness, foot care, blood pressure as well as an assortment of free spa and salon services such as mini-massages, manicures, makeup applications and image consultations for guests. For more information or to register go to: divabetic.org or changingdiabetes-us.com
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