In order to protect the privacy of those that write to us,
the names, dates and places have been changed
From Mrs. Chana
I'm writing to explain what the Jewish Diabetes Association has meant to me,
and to give my impressions of the crucial gaps which are begging to be
f
My daughter, now 16 years old, was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age
of 9. Since then, she has struggled. Although the hospitals faithfully
tracked her hemoglobin as it skyrocketed, they did not have the ab
tune in to my daughter. We changed doctors again and again, but the result
stayed the same - dangerously high glucose levels.
Our chancing upon Nechama Cohen was somewhat miraculous.
JDA has given our fam
my daughter the confidence and w
ssistance comes in many forms including technical expertise, counseling (I
don't know where they get the time and energy for all this!) and the
periodic meetings - which, in addition to the excellent speakers, provide a
sense of community and a feeling that you're not alone.
There are so many people that need this service and this organization should be supported to fullest
Perhaps it is the shroud of secrecy, the sense of shame, or the concern
about shidduchim that is preventing people from coming to the assistance of this vital organization. Those of us, however, who understand how vital its growth is, must rally to its support.
From a Mother in Upstate NY that was able to take part in a meeting on speaker phone, just a short time after her very young daughter was diagnosed
Hi Nechama,
I want to thank you so much for going out of your way and give me the
opportunity to participate on your meeting this past Sunday. I learned a
lot, reviewed and reinforced a lot, and it was productive. What you do has no
words to be thanked for, may HaShem bench you and your fam
best. It is great to be part of a support heimishe group that acknowledges
all matters combining it with the way we live. Thanks a lot, may we
hear good news from eretz isroel, may moshiach come now!
Thanks, Rachel
Dear Mrs. Cohen
When our son, Moshe was diagnosed at the age of four with type
I diabetes, we were in shock. We had no idea what this meant for him in
the short term and the long term. We looked for information all over,
reading everything we could find about how to handle this new
development in our lives. We also spoke to our friends and neighbors to
find other fam
notes and commiserate. Over and over again, we were told, "Call Nechama
Cohen. "
Nechama, you called us back and spoke to us at length. After that first
conversation, we knew we had found what we were looking for-a support
group for Jewish people with diabetes, which would address our concerns
and help us find solutions to the sometimes unique problems that we were
facing. When we came to our first meeting, we were amazed to see that
we were far from alone. Here were many other fam
ready and eager to share information about diabetes. What do you do on
Purim? How do you handle the Seder? Can my ch
honey on Rosh Hashanah? How w
You know exactly what my son goes through every
day, even more than we do. The support groups for the boys and girls
and the lectures for the parents and the adults with diabetes are
wonderful. We look forward to them and make a special effort to attend
from
Goldwasser, and look forward to future meetings with anticipation. The
dedication that you put in to the Jewish Diabetes Association
is truly a great chesed to all of us. We just wanted to take this
opportunity to express our appreciation to you. May Hashem give
you the strength and health to continue your work unt
necessary.
Sincerely,
the Weisses Passaic NJ
My name is Yochanan and I've been an insulin dependant diabetic for
Over 40 years (since age two). I have been using the insulin pump for
The last 19 1/2 years.
Up unt
talk/write to. I had met a few type IIs (who were in bad shape medically)
but I couldn't really communicate with them.
When I signed onto this list I found I had friends with a sim
I have belonged to a few support groups in the past, and am active in the
Insulin Pumpers group, but I find that wh
diabetes and control related topics none of them have made any attempt to
help a person help himself.
The one really great thing about this group is that there are mentors 'on
staff' ava
who have 'been through it' who can help others out and there are those who
have been through it and can offer an ear on complications.
There is also a great system for getting spouses of diabetics in touch with
each other. My wife really has had no one to talk to on any of the diabetes
issues (whether Jewish related or not) and looks forward to speaking to
some of the wives of longer term type one diabetics.
There are numbers of issues involved with both long and short term diabetes
that are very personal and very involved and they of course are best dealt
with within a frum group of sim
ab
ab
the forum and within the meetings.
The chance to expand this service and get meetings to happen more often and
get more people involved (and possibly get chapters started in other cities)
would be a great step forward for all of us.
Thank you for your interest and concern.
When Shulamit my 12-year-old daughter, was diagnosed with Type-1
diabetes in September of 1995 we got lots of unsolicited advice. Everyone
knew a neighbor, an aunt, a grandmother's friend's granddaughter, a
cleaning woman, etc. who had diabetes. ("Call so-and-so, her son has
diabetes and she can really help you.") Everyone seemed to know
better than us what to do and what not to do ("You know that she
can never eat sugar anymore!"). It was very overwhelming - so many
people. Whom to call first?
Then, we heard of Nechama Cohen who headed a
support group for Jewish diabetics. Although at first I was hesitant
to make yet another
"Hi-my-daughter-has-just-been-diagnosed-with-diabetes" phone call, I
figured this was a good bet, as I would be networking with a large
group as opposed to individuals.
I called Nechama, and thus began our connection with JDA. Although
Shulamit’s doctor and CDE (certified diabetes educator) were extremely
competent and helpful, there was something to be said for being
aff
lessened the pain knowing that there were other members of Achainu
B'nei Yisroel who were dealing with the same condition.
A couple of months after her diagnosis, we drove down all the way
from
meeting! So many parents and ch
support, to connect, and to learn - with such unity and caring. With
their expertise, Nechama and the ch
that meeting and imparted some of their wealth of wisdom to all who
attended.
We drove back to
exhausting trip, we were so happy that we had decided to attend.
Recently, we attended another JDA meeting. This time, we organized a
small delegation to come from
ourselves a driver for the occasion.
The location of the meeting had been changed to a school bu
accommodate the ever-growing JDA membership, reflecting the amazing
work and outreach that JDA has accomplished. We sat mesmerized
throughout the entire meeting, listening to the speakers who spoke
about all kinds of relevant medical and social issues. Afterwards,
parents and ch
I could go on and on extolling the virtues of JDA, its founder and
organizers, however I am constrained by time and space. To summarize,
JDA renders an invaluable service, by providing support to Jewish
diabetics and their fam
May the Borei Refuos grant Nechama, the ch
and all other volunteers strength to continue their exemplary work.
Vechol mi she'oskim betzorchei tzibur be'emunah, HaKodosh Boruch Hu
yeshalaim sechorom, veyosir maihem kol machaloh, veyirpoh lechol