Happy Dia-versary

I will admit, this one is a hard one to write. I am sitting on the eve of my 20th dia-versary (as we call it in the diabetic world). 20 years tomorrow.

I could easily spend the next few minutes writing about how tough my life has been since my diagnosis. I could talk about how life hasn't been fair. I could easily throw a pity party with fancy words and deep felt emotion, that would trigger all of you to feel sorry for me. I am not going to do that.

My diagnosis day is a bit taboo in our household. Heather doesn't mention it, nor do I talk much about it. I am not sure why we don't talk about it more, after all, it was the day that my life would change forever. But, we all have that day. A day in which something happens that changes our lives forever. So tonight, I decided to embrace the day. I choose to embrace the day because I am fighting for a cure for my daughter, and part of that process is being truthful and speaking from the heart.

Honestly, I am very lucky to have the opportunity to write this blog tonight. The past 20 years, I have lived recklessly. There have been times when I haven't really cared much about my health and have ignored my diabetes. Hospital stays and flirting with death has caused me to wake up a bit, more importantly, Micheala's diagnosis has opened my eyes. Statistically, I should either be blind, without a foot or even possibly dead, but somehow have dodged those bullets so far. I never imagined that at 34 years old, I would ever be so grateful for getting up in the morning and seeing sunlight.

I can't help but think about a hospitalization I had once. It was November 2001 and Heather and I had just gotten married in August. I was home sick and throwing up everything that I tried to put into my body. My body shut down, I was dehydrated, but continued to tell Heather that I was not going to the hospital. I would drink a glass of water and throw it up 15 minutes later. Finally, Heather ignored my request, and loaded me up in our car and took me to the hospital.

I didn't want to go. I was coaching basketball at Upper Iowa at the time and had an important scrimmage the next day that I did not want to miss. I got to the emergency room and could only walk in with the assistance of Heather, which was quite a struggle for her. That's where my memory stopped of that day.

The next day, I woke up in Intensive Care. I was hooked up to every machine possible and remember not being sure of what happened. Heather was sitting at the side of my bed....scared. I felt awful for her because I knew that one of her memories of being a newlywed would include this hospital stay.

It's anyone's guess to how close I was to not making it through. The Doctors told us it was close and that Heather saved my life.

I look back and am very thankful to Heather for choosing to ignore my request. There may have never been a Dylanne or Micheala if she had listened to me. I would have never had he opportunity to be married to her for 10 years and would have never met some of the great people that I now call friends.

This is what I think about and will think about all day on March 1st. March 1, 1992 was the day that would forever change my life. Change it in a lot of ways that have hurt me, but has also made me stronger. Diabetes has brought much hurt and pain to myself and the people in my life, but it has also brought on opportunities to achieve and claim victory. Our efforts with JDRF is one example.

Diabetes has made me look at things in this world much differently. I don't focus so much on what I don't have in life, but more on what God has blessed me with. I have a wonderful family. I have the best wife and two beautiful girls. I am not a perfect person and that doesn't seem to bother me much. I live a passionate life filled with emotion and purpose. I smile more than I frown; laugh more than I cry; love more than I dislike.

March 1st will not be a day of gifts and celebration. It will be like any other day. Sure, throughout the day, I will think about the scared boy laying in the hospital bed 20 years ago. But at that moment, I will think of my wife and smile. I will think of my 2 girls and smile. I will think of everyone who has stepped up and supported me in my efforts to cure this disease and smile. I will think of life that God has given me an opportunity to live here on earth and be thankful for his grace. I will think of Pump Princess and know that my job is not done.

Here's to another year of fighting the fight.

Here's to another year of Keeping My Promise.

Dear Micheala...

This morning was just one of those mornings in which I had too much time alone in the car. I got to thinking....which is sometimes dangerous. This morning I felt compelled to write a letter to Micheala. Not a letter for her to read tonight, but 20 years down the road, just like I hope 20 years down the road she will go back and read this blog and is proud of her dad. So this morning, I write this letter for Micheala.

Dear Micheala,

I am writing to you today because you have been on my mind quite a bit. As I look back at these past six years of your life, I am so proud of you for overcoming the obstacles that have been thrown in front of you at such an early age. I often brag to others about how you are the toughest 6 year old around, and even though it often draws laughter, I mean what I say.

I have never apologized to you in person because I just don't have the strength to say the words to your face. I may be taking the easy road in this blog, but I am sorry. I am sorry for the life that you have to live with diabetes. I promise that I never intended to pass diabetes along to you, but God's plan was different. I never wanted you to have the risk of going through some of the things that I have gone through with diabetes, but God has other plans.

The toughest part of each day is getting up, looking at you and knowing what you are going to go through that day with diabetes. I find myself guilt stricken every day, and constantly searching for ways to make it up to you.

I apologize that I don't have the means to take this disease away from you. I am not a medical expert or a medical scientist that has the smarts to work on a cure for you. I chose a profession in which I help people, but can't even help you.

I apologize for having your childhood memories marked with an Astrix. Although you still have friends and are able to do most of what other kids your age are doing, I know that you hate it when you have to stop to manage your diabetes. I apologize that your holidays come with restrictions. I apologize that you get embarrassed in front of others when you have to deal with your diabetes in public. Rest assure that I know what you are going through, because I went through the same things as a teenager.

I want to change the mood of this letter and thank you for all that you have done for me. Prior to your diabetes diagnosis, I thought that I had things in life figured out. I thought that my career and own interests were priority in life. I thought that living an average lifestyle was okay, and that I could someday die a happy and fulfilled person. After your diabetes diagnosis, my life took on a whole new purpose. I felt as if I had more to offer the world and discovered more talents that I never had any indication that I possessed. I started putting other people and things ahead of myself. I found passion in helping people. I found fulfillment in making people smile. I started to dream about bigger and better things. I started setting goals that I was told could never be reached; yet got up each and every morning with the confidence that I could achieve those goals. I thought that my life was a closed book, only to realize that part of my life was only the first chapter. I am looking forward to writing many more chapters...chapters that include you, your sister and your mother.

It's important to me that you know that I won't give up. I made a promise to you in July 2009, that I would do everything that I can to help someday find a cure for diabetes. Even though we don't have a cure yet, I am doing everything that I can. God has blessed your dad with some pretty special people that have helped me in pursuit of my promise to you. I encourage you to always be grateful to these people, as I am forever grateful for their time and efforts.

Finally, I am stuck in a situation in which I don't know if there is ever anything I can do to make up for the hurdles that you now have to leap over in your life. I love you very much and I know God has a very special plan for you. I know that God is using you to make a difference in this world and influence those people that you come across in your lifetime.

I love you and am very proud of you.

Keeping my promise,
Dad

Not Yet

After 3 years of participating in the JDRF Walk for the Cure, I would have thought that I would be prepared for the question that Micheala asks Heather and I on the Sunday following the walk.

"Is there a cure for diabetes now?"

Not yet.

She doesn't seem to react too much to our answer, but I know it has to disappoint her, because it disappoints me.

She is too young to understand the process. A big walk turnout and lots of money raised, doesn't equal a cure on Sunday. I don't even try to explain this to her, because she can't quite put it together yet.

But I am old enough to understand.

So I question. How many Sundays after the JDRF walk am I going to answer Micheala's question with "Not Yet"?

For me, it's not about being a hero and telling my daughter that there is a cure. don't get me wrong, I dream of that day. It's more about not being able to answer the question with something other than "Not Yet". This is what motivates me. Someday being able to turn that "Not Yet" into a "Why Not".

When we started Pump Princess, I asked the question, "What About Now?" I get frustrated when I think about all of the advancements that this world has made in creating things to kill people, but yet this world lacks in advancements to save people. I am aware that the following statement is more complicated than the simplistic way that it was stated. But really....we have developed nuclear weapons that can wipe out entire cities, but haven't developed a way to save one diabetic child.

So what can little old Mike Schrock, from Urbana, Iowa do about this?

I choose to eliminate funding as an excuse for not having a cure. That's all I can do. I don't possess a medical degree, nor do I have the capacity to even formulate a good idea for a cure. So I choose to fund those that do. I choose to fund the great minds that can develop a cure.

I guess that I am just disgusted at the fact that I am sitting up tonight, monitoring Micheala as she sleeps because her bedtime blood sugar was 314. I will be checking her throughout the night until we get her blod sugars back to a normal level because I don't want her to start her day off tomorrow fighting high blood sugars. She is embarrassed at the fact that she has to wear a pull-up to bed on these nights, in fear that she will wet the bed.

I know one thing for sure, I will not quit until we have a cure.

With all of the money that was raised on Saturday, I was motivated to start raising money that following Sunday for 2013. Diabetes doesn't take a day off for Micheala...why should I.

Thanking Those Who Inspire

I am going to take an opportunity to name drop a bit in this post. Of course, I cannot mention everyone, but there are a few very special people that I need to mention. People that have influenced me in ways that are very unique. I am doing this because I worked for a basketball coach, Bill Wilson, who once told me, "Certain people have made sacrifices for you to get to where you are today, and when given the opportunity, you should thank them." Here is my opportunity.

After an amazing day at the Cedar Rapids JDRF Walk for the Cure, I must start with my Pump Princess team. All of you have volunteered countless hours to help us reach our fundraising goal and beyond. I know that all of you have been stressed and have a certain level of frustration with me because my goals are high. You always rise to the occasion and by now, have learned that nothing is impossible. The thing that I love the most abut our team this year is that all of our efforts were driven by passion. This year there seemed to be more of an emotional attachment to our efforts and I feel as if we really embraced the true meaning behind all of our efforts. Congrats to all of you for not accepting average.

I want to thank Michael and Lindsey Roberts for friending us this past year and helping us realize that we are more than just average people. Your leadership by example has shown our family that we can achieve, as long as we believe. Your time wih us as helped us find the missing pieces in our lives which includes spiritual, dreaming and confidence. Your support continues to be unmatched by others and you'll always have a special place in our hearts. Thank you for taking a chance on us and believing in us, when we didn't believe in ourselves.

I had an opportunity today to thank a friend that has impacted my life in a way that he never knew about until today. I heard this man speak at Advocare Success School in August 2011. He said, "I don't have a script, I speak from the heart". I wrote that down and decided to recite those words every time I got ready to speak at a JDRF function. I knew that if I spoke from the heart that not only would I be passionate, but also truthful in the message that I was trying to convey. So after an event that I attended today, I decided to share with J.P. Penzkover how much he has been an inspiration in what I have done over the past year. I spoke of the goals that I have for JDRF and how I have pursued those goals by using his quote from Success School. Much too my surprise, he was well aware of what I had been doing and offered his words of encouragement and congratulations. I presented him with a t-shirt from our walk and told him that I would understand if he never wore the shirt, but I wanted to give it to him as a token of my appreciation and of how much he had to do with our success this year.

Finally, the ladies of Eastern Iowa JDRF. I am not sure that everyone really understands the hard work and dedication it takes from all four of these ladies to make JDRF possible. Michelle is constantly busy with office work. Meredith, not only lives with juvenile diabetes, but is helping others that are fighting her same battle. She spends a lot of time organizing different events to help raise awareness and advocate for the cure. All of this while she is a wife and soon to be mother. Kelsey has a special way of relating to the children. My girls absolutely love her and I know that the other kids feel the same. She is such a positive role model for the kids and makes the kids feel special when she is around. Ann Elise started as a mother that wanted her daughter to be cured. She made the promise and each day works her tail off too ensure that she is fulfilling that promise. Her compassion motivates all of us and drives us all to do more.

I don't want to give our total funds raised for the walk, because we have four weeks until donations are officially closed for this year's walk, but I will say we not only met our goal, but blew it out of the water. I have a number that I would like to have be our final number for this year and will spend the next four weeks achieving that. None of this is possible without the above mentioned people. I ask that these people take a moment and pat yourselves on the back. You are inspiring and I thank you all.

I also want to give kudos to everyone that came to support juvenile diabetes at Westdale Mall today. Thanks for taking a little bit of your time to support us and our fight.

Sunshine

For those of you that know me personally, know that I have been battling through a lot of things lately. Things that are unrelated to juvenile diabetes and things that I will not share because this blog was never intended for me to throw a self fulfilling pity party. One thing that I have learned throughout the past few years is that even the most cloudy days offer a ray of sunshine; even if for a brief moment.

Tonight, I returned home from a long work day. I took my shoes off at the door and grabbed a glass of water. I let the dog outside and changed my clothes so I could start cleaning the house. Earlier in the day, I received some news from Heather that had both her and I upset, so to deal with that anger, I often clean something. I let the dog in the house and began to clean the kitchen.

That's when the door bell rang.

I figured it was one of Dylanne's friends wanting to play, so I rushed down the stairs to tell her friend that Dylanne was not home yet. I pulled open the front door and was suprised to see an older woman standing in my door way.

She says to me, "Hi, I read your story in the newspaper and I wanted to help", then hands me a sealed envelope. I thanked her and she walked away. I closed the door and headed back upstairs.

I opened the envelope to find a check for $100 to team Pump Princess. My ray of sunshine.

I had never met this woman, nor did I have any idea of where she is from. From this day forward she will be known as "sunshine" and she was on my front doorstep.

The past cuple days have been very humbling for me. I have received numerous texts, emails and messages from my friends, family and strangers telling me how proud they are of me. These messages really help me get through the tough times I have been going through and I appreciate each and every one of them.

I am not sure what God has in store for me before the day starts, which makes every day an exciting adventure. It's days like today, when God gives you a special gift to let you know that you are on the right path. It's times when you reach out to your friends to assist your daughter in meeting her goal for JDRF, only to find the next morning that she had quadrupled goal overnight.

Every day has a ray of sunshine, no matter how cloudy the day, you just have to keep your chin up so you don't miss when that sunshine breaks through the clouds.

It's A Family Thing

With a few days left until the day of the walk, Dylanne and I found ourselves parked in front of our laptop last night, viewing all of the donations that we have received online. Dylanne asked me to check her site, to see how much money that she has raised. So I click on her link and she watches the thermometer raise up to 40%. She says, "Dad, why doesn't my meter go all the way up like Micheala's?" I told her that her goal to raise $100 has not been met, so it only goes to 40% because you have only $40 raised so far.

"Well, can you put something on Facebook to help me raise $100?"

So, I went to my Facebook page and typed a message from Dylanne on my profile. My Facebook friends responded aggressively and started donating to Dylanne. Long story short, this morning, she was well over her goal. Tonight...her thermometer goes to 100%. Thank you to everyone who helped.

Juvenile Diabetes (the disease) is 50% of the Schrock house. Juvenile Diabetes has an impact 100% of the Schrock house. While only 2 of us battle this disease, all 4 of us feel the effects. An example of that was this weekend. We were asked to shoot a video, take photos and do an interview to help some friends of ours construct a book to present to Congress about funding diabetes research. Now, I usuaklly talk, Micheala stands and looks cute and Heather and Dylanne watch from the background. This weekend, everyone was involved. Heather was interviewed and got really emotional. Something that I have never witnessed before; aside from hospitalizations and the initial diagnosis. It really put things into perspective for me.

A cure for a diabetic child is a cure for a "diabetic" family.

My wife never asked for this, nor did Dylanne, but the amount of support that they offer to Micheala and myself can never be appreciated enough. I challenge all of you that join us at the walk this Saturday to try and find Heather and Dylanne. They will be in the background, but conducting everyone to the appropriate places and so on. Micheala and I have the disease, but Dylanne and Heather have the passion.

Speaking of families, I am very proud of all of the families participating in the JDRF Walk this year. Some of the newer families are doing awesome things to help raise funds and awareness. Some of the older JDRF families are continuing to get bigger and better each year. It's the committment and passion from these families that help keep HOPE alive in our children.

Finally...I have really held on to a saying that was spoken by our Executive Director at Eastern Iowa JDRF, Ann Elise Walsh. That saying.."Keep the Promise". As many of you know, I made a promise to Micheala in July 2009 that I promise to do everything I can to fund a cure for juvenile diabetes. Ann Elise has made the same promise years ago to her daughter, Kasey and uses those words to motivate her each and every day. I, too, hold those words close to my heart.

Keep the Promise.

The Hardest Day

Just a reminder that the Eastern Iowa JDRF Walk for the Cure in Cedar Rapids is next Saturday. You still have a chance to donate to team Pump Princess and can do so by clicking on the link located on the right of the page. We appreciate all donations and will never be able to thank each and every one of you enough.

This weekend was great. We decided to go and support the Cedar Valley JDRF Walk for the Cure in Waterloo on Saturday morning. Our family put on our Pump Princess shirts from last year and headed to Crossroads Mall to offer support to the diabetic families in that area.

We had a fantastic time! It was nice to just go and really enjoy all of the activities that are part of the walk. We didn't have to worry about wrangling our team up and make sure everyone was in the right place. It was just us four and we had fun. We also got excited for our walk this weekend. I got to meet 2 incredible women that are determined to find a cure for diabetes.

Betsy is someone who has dealt with diabetes for a majority of her life. She is determined to really advocate and raise awareness in the Cedar Valley area. Sam is the mother of a diabetic young man and really has a fantastic vision of what could be in the Cedar Valley area. With these 2 ladies leading the charge, I sense big things to come in the Cedar Valley area.

Sam asked our family if we would come to Cedar Falls on Sunday and participate in a project that she was doing for the members of Congress. We, of course, agreed to help, so we headed to Cedar Falls on Sunday. We taped a video, did an interview and sat for a photo shoot. Sam is constructing a book that will include stories and pictures of those that deal with Type 1 diabetes in the Eastern Iowa area. Great idea! We had fun with the whole process, but I wanted to talk about one part of the day that has left me in deep thought this evening.

I was asked during the interview, "What has been the hardest day with type 1 diabetes so far?"

My answer was as follows: "The hardest day of type 1 diabetes is always tomorrow. As a type 1 diabetic myself, I know that getting through a day with normal blood sugars is considered a victory for the day. However, diabetes doesn't sleep, so even though I lay down and fall asleep at night, I know that I will have to wake up and fight the same battle tomorrow, and it never gets easier. As a parent of a type 1 diabetic six year old, I claim victory when we can send our daughter to bed with normal blood sugars, but know that those blood sugars can change in the middle of the night. So we have to wake up and check her blood sugars in the middle of the night. So the days run together, followed by the weeks running together. We don't consider Micheala having a hard day, but rather a hard life, because it never gets easier and it never stops."

I am reminded of this constant cycle of blood sugar testing as I sit here in my living room tonight. Our end tables are decorated with used test strips and empty test strip bottles. I also see an empty juice box that was drank this morning due to waking up with a low blood sugar (65). I see Micheala's diabetic bag laying next to the couch. I see pictures hung on our wall from different JDRF photo shoots. I see a couple pump pouches laying on the back of the couch because they were just washed. I have a notebook sitting next to me with a "to do" list that needs to be completed prior to Saturday's walk. We have a Ride to Cure medal hanging in our living room, that was a gift to Micheala from her rider this year in LaCrosse. Our house is cluttered with different JDRF buttons, back packs, balloons and posters. All of this serves as a reminder of who we are, but more importantly, what we are trying to accomplish.

No matter how hard we try, or even if it was possible, we don't get a day off from diabetes. Every day is hard.

Until a cure is found, Heather will continue to experience interrupted nights of sleep, Dylanne will continue to question if we love her as much as Micheala, Heather and I will always worry and Micheala will always battle this disease. The hardest day is always tomorrow, until tomorrow presents a cure.

What would a cure mean for our family? I don't think I need to answer that because, by now, every one knows. I would like to ask all of you to ask yourself that question, "What would a cure for juvenile diabetes mean for you?" Now, are you willing to take the action to make a cure possible?

The Diabetic Barbie

Micheala has been a diabetic since he age of four. She has always played with Barbies. This was too awesome of an idea noot to write about...the Diabetic Barbie.

I happened to run across this Facebook page set up by a woman for her little girl Emma. The facebook page, "Diabetic Barbie" has this written in it's description:

A couple of weeks ago, my 7 year old type 1 diabetic daughter asked me why there wasn't a diabetic Barbie. She had heard about a Barbie being made recently with no hair for a little girl battling cancer and was thinking that it would be nice to also have a diabetic Barbie out there! I actually went so far as to contact Mattel and ask them about this, because I think it is a fantastic idea...so man...y little girls are diagnosed at prime Barbie playing age and I think that it would make them feel special to have a Barbie out that is just like them. When I asked Mattel about this, they flat out told me that they do not accept unsolicited suggestions about their dolls. I find this very unfortunate. SO, I created this page in the hopes of starting a petition or something to see if they would be willing to change their minds. I think that if they put out these dolls, that sales would be through the roof personally. I appreciate any and all of your feedback. Please be kind in your comments about my Barbie pump making skills...lol...it was my first attempt.

I have talked about Micheala being a bit embarrassed about having diabetes and that all she really wants is to knw that she is not alone in this fight. I also talk about how we try to raise awareness for juvenile diabetes and educate others, especially young people, about juvenile diabetes. I read about the diabetic barbie and was immediately on board with this idea. I could help but imagine going to one of our hospital visits with the diabetic barbie in hand ready to give to the little girls who had just been diagnosed. Could you imagine the joy that it would bring to that little girl in her time of sadness?

I encourage all of my friends to back Emma and her mother in their mission to have a diabetic Barbie created. I know that we would buy a couple of these Barbies for our family and I am sure that every hospital visit that we make, we would have a diabetic Barbie in hand. Let's get behind this and make it happen.

Emma - Thank you for being courageous. Thank you for having a dream and acting on your dream.

The Diabetic Echo

A friend of mine, who has also been a diabetic for a majority of his life, just had the heart wrenching news delivered to him a few days ago. "Sir, your 3 1/2 year old daughter is a type 1 diabetic".

Another father/daughter combination now in Eastern Iowa. Another "family" of diabetics. Another Dad that has to live with the guilt of thinking that he gave his daughter Type 1 diabetes.

Of course, without question, Micheala and I went to visit he and his daughter in the hospital. Listening to him talk about the diagnosis, I couldn't help but notice that he was saying the same things I said when Micheala was diagnosed.

"I hoped she didn't have diabetes because I didn't want her to have to live with the same thing that I have lived with."

"I knew she had it when she was urinating alot and was drinking a lot."

Like most visits, I sit and listen, but with this visit, it was different. It was like I was having an out of body experience. It was like I was watching and listening to myself when Micheala was diagnosed. It was like an echo.

Echoes tend to repeat themselves until eventually you can't hear them anymore (or just go away). I hope this is true with diabetes. It has been echoing for some time now, but when will it go away? The diabetic echo continues to bounce and repeat from community to community......it's getting louder and not softer. This needs to change.

My heart goes out to my friend Doug and his daughter Gretchen. My heart goes out to their family as they now have to live with 2 diabetics. They are strong, Doug is a great father and I have no doubt in my mind that they will control their diabetes.

In regards to diabetic echoes, there is one echo that I keep trying to make louder and louder....our story. This week, we have been contacted by the Cedar Rapids Gazette and a girl wanting to write a book about JDRF families in Eastern Iowa. They want us to share our story. Ummmmm.........yes.

I believe that Micheala and I can motivate others to get involved with JDRF. I am confident. This has been a record setting fund raising year for us as we are getting close to $15,000! Much of this success is do to the fact that we have been blessed with opportunities to share our story. I am so proud of the new teams in JDRF this year. New families really stepping up and getting involved. The older teams are really knockin it out of the park and stepping up their fundraising efforts. I don't think that it will be too long and Cedar Rapids will be a million dollar walk!

So let me leave you with this final echo........the walk is in 2 weeks...still time to donate to a JDRF walk team.

Be part of something special...be part of the cure.

Courageous

As a father, I love to share stories of when my daughters do something incredible. I think it is normal for any parent to want "brag up" their kids when they get the opportunity. You know, when they score the winning goal or when they land the lead role in the school play. Whatever it is, we love to celebrate their accomplishments. For me, and maybe I am too simple, I get excited when I see my girls grow. Not physically, but spiritually.

Last week, the school handed out forms to the kids to get enrolled in dance or flag football. As reported by my daughter, Dylanne, the boys were handed flag football forms and the girls were handed dance forms. Dylanne received the wrong form.

She came home from school that night and was very upset. She told us that she got the wrong form and that she had to find the right form on the ground. She told us that all of her friends were laughing at her and making fun of her for having the wrong form. As she shared this with Heather and I, she had tears in her eyes and was very upset. She couldn't quite understand why her friends would laugh and make fun of her over something like "not having the right form".

We encouraged her, as she found the right form and told her that "people throw rocks at things that shine".

Before I go on, I should probably explain. Dylanne received a form for Dance from her teacher. Dylanne was interested in playing Flag Football. So, Dylanne found a Flag Football form on the ground, picked it up and brought it home. When spotted with the flag football form, her friends laughed and teased her. Dylanne stood tall and was courageous.

Dylanne really wants to play flag football. This has nothing to do with me, it's her decision. Regardless of all of the jokes she has gotten from her classmates, she still wants to play. Heather and I are supporting her in whatever she wants to do. She may play, she may not. It will be her decision.

I am very proud of Dylanne for not accepting the limitations that society puts on individuals. Because she's a girl, she should only be allowed to do dance? We have always encouraged her to participate in those activities that she has interest in.

Anyone that knows Dylanne, knows that she is a strong willed child and has a very rough exterior. Dylanne also has a soft interior, and what her friends did to her hurt, but she is determined and that makes me proud.

Like I said, I don't know if she will play football or not. Her decision, I just need to know what kind of shoes to buy her.