1. Raising a Child with aChronic IllnessBy Sheri C. Turner

2. Which of the following is an actual lawthat protects the rights of your childPlan 504IDEAADAAll of the Above Provided by JDRF and ADA 3. Know Your Rights! Provided by JDRF and ADA 4. Allow Yourself and Your Family toGrieveA diagnosis of any type of chronic illness results in a loss of some kind a loss of the original dreams you had for your child, a loss of security in their health and long life.You have to allow yourself time to acknowledge the loss, grieve for it and then MOVE FORWARDMusic by Rascal Flatts, used foreducational purposes only.Click Here 5. Now Youre Ready To Advocate!Once you have moved into the acceptance stage you may findadvocacy to be a great outlet for you and your child. Get involved infund raising events, find out what type of camps are offered to yourchild, join websites and foundations. 6. Whats Wrong With Your Kid? Ahhh, the words guaranteed to produce an almost immediate reaction of anger. Dont let it! Your reaction, or lack of it, can help change the way people treat kids with a chronic illness! 7. I know someone who has that andthey dont. Ahhh, the ever present mass of people who know nothing about your situation or the illness that has moved smack into the middle of your family; but they know what it is best or they always know someone who has the same thing and they handle it better. 8. This is sometimes easier said than done; the trick is going to be the support system you have in place. Connect with other families who are living with the same illness; develop friendships that you trust when you need to vent or need advice that really applies to you. 9. Rolling On The Floor Laughing!! As odd as it may sound, one of the most important things you can do for your child is find humor in a situation you would notordinarily consider funny. After all, this is no ordinarysituation..right?!The next few slides will use the example of Diabetes Humor all of the remarks, scenarios and quotes are taken directly from my own family. 10. An 11 Year Olds Definition of DiabetesYou know youre the parent of diabeticchild when you ask her how her day atschool was and she responds with anumber. 11. Gotta Add A Little SeussFinding an inspirational source to help you find humor can comefrom most anywhere. Like this example of a Seuss-like poem Its ahumorous look how the mom of a diabetic handles her daughters hamster nipping her finger and causing a little drop of blood.. When my hamster nips, Mom gets a stripShe tells me not to trip, if I do Ill drop the drip Then I test and thats not a jest But now Im on a quest Im searching here, Im searching there Im searching everywhereAt last! My gloves are lost no more Now my fingers wont get sore When my hamster nips, don't get a strip No test, no jest and I think you know the rest Graphic courtesy of Suessville.com 12. Empower Your Child 13. Celebrate! Excuse Me Celebrate? Nope, you understood me. Celebrate, not the illness or the disease but the grace and strength with which your child faces his or her monster: their monster is their illness.It is very important that children understand that we see their struggles and we admire the way they tackle them head on. Graphic courtesy of juvenilediabetic.com 14. Words of Inspiration Let me leave you with an audio reading from one of the most inspirational stories ever put to print. Oh, The Places Youll Go by Dr. Seuss. The story was the last ever written by Dr. Seuss and contains a message that applies to many but especially to children with a chronic illness and their parents. Graphic courtesy of Suessville.com 15. References American Diabetes Association , 2009. Legal Information. Retrieved June, 2009 from http://www.ada.orgAnimated Factory.com (2009). Royalty Free Website. Graphics. Retrieved June, 2009 from: http://www.animationfactory.com/en/Dr. Seuss, (1990). Oh, The Places Youll Go. New York: RandomHouse.Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 2009. Legal Information.retrieved June, 2009 from http://www.jdrf.orgJunk Science.com (2009). Graphics. Retrieved June, 2009 fromhttp://wwwjunkscience.com website. 16. ReferencesPyzam.com, (2009). Graphics. Retrieved June, 2009 from: http://www.pyzam.comRascal Flatts (2007). Stand. Music Single, Me and My Gang Album. Daly, Blair, Orton, Danny (Writers)Suessville, (2009). Graphics. Retrieved June, 2009 from http://www.suessville.comZwani.com, (2009). Graphics. Retrieved June, 2009 from: http://www.zwani.com 17. Click to Return Graphic courtesy of junkscience.com 18. Click Here Graphic courtesy of junkscience.com