NEXT MEETING

Our next meeting will January 17, 2007

Our January speaker will be Dr. Mark Christiansen, an adult endocrinologist with a practice in Pleasanton. Dr. Christianse, who also sees older kids and teens, will discuss recent developments in diabetes care and research. Most of all, he'll answer all of your questions about diabetes care, family dynamics, summer camps and more!

Our meetings are held at the Laguna Oaks neighborhood clubhouse, 2700 Lylewood Drive, in Pleasanton. The clubhouse is easy to find. Take the Bernal Avenue exit from I-680 and turn left (west) toward the foothills. Bernal ends at Foothill Road. Turn right onto Foothill, then take the first right into Laguna Oaks. That small street, Jorgensen, ends at the clubhouse. A parking lot is next to the clubhouse. We meet from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Go to www.mapquest.com for specific directions from your home or office.)

Please send suggestions for meeting topics to zoe@zoefrancis.com.

About our previous seasons ...

We stuck with our schedule of fewer meetings during the 2005-2006 school year. Our goal is to bring in top-notch speakers and provide enough meetings so that families within the diabetes community can get to know each other. We had some great speakers, including perennial favorite Matt Vogal (see next paragraph). Read about Matt's diabetes sports group at www.insulinfactor.com. Other popular speakers were Mark Ruefenacht and Crystal Nichols of Dogs with Diabetics. They brought their Labradors, Armstrong and Dela, who are trained to detect the scent of low blood sugar and alert he handler. www.dogs4diabetics.com

Busy schedules and busy lives have led us to drop a few of our meetings during the 2003-2004 season. This has kept the group fresh and, hopefully, anticipating the next exciting topic. We had a stellar, standing-room-only crowd in January 2004 to hear Matt Vogel tell us how he successfully manages his diabetes while competing in marathons and triathlons. Matt's slide show is fun, fast-paced and entertaining. We also learned how Matt stays healthy while he exercises. Yes, it's another good season for the POD Squad!

Our April 2004 meeting featured school counselor and marriage-family therapy intern Beth Christensen. About 20 people showed up to hear Beth talk and ask for her advice. The meeting turned into a group therapy session for all who attended. We got great advice from Beth and from each other. Everyone agreed it was one of our best meetings ever! Beth bases much of her advice on the love-and-logic method of parenting. If you'd like to learn more about this practical approach to parenting, check out the book "Parenting with Love and Logic." (www.loveandlogic.com)

Our fifth season showed a slight drop in overall attendance, but continued to be successful thanks to the support of loyal folks like yourselves. Our most popular meeting was in March when we held our first-ever teen panel. It was standing-room-only as parents and kids alike got the inside scoop on what it's like being a teen with diabetes. More than 30 people showed up in September to hear attorneys Paul Foreman and Chantal Sampogna talk about the rights of kids with diabetes. They discussed our kids' rights at school, in sports, at camp and elsewhere in the "real" world. The attorneys had some wonderful advice for us parents. It was an educational evening. Another two dozen-plus parents and kids came out in October to hear representatives from the insulin pump companies tell us about the MiniMed, Disetronic, Animas and Cozmo pumps. It was another fun and informative evening.

In our 2001-2002 season, we had several interesting and fun speakers. Representatives from various companies told us about the latest advances in blood glucose meters, insulin pumps and new devices to help better monitor and control diabetes. The friendly folks at the Diabetic Youth Foundation told us about the wonderful Bearskin Meadow Camp in the high Sierra east of Fresno. We also learned about DYF's newest weekend camps at Camp Arroyo in Livermore. We had our biggest crowd ever in January for the ever-popular panel of adults who have grown up with diabetes. These grown-ups always offer amazing insight into what it's like to be a kid with diabetes. We ended our year with a bang with Joe Solowiejczyk, a diabetes nurse educator and family therapist, who gave us some helpful tips for raising kids who have diabetes. Joe has lived with Type 1 diabetes for 42 years, so he knows of which he speaks. His information was fantastic and fun -- as always.

In our 2000-2001 season, Tom Peyser, a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was our May speaker. Peyser, who has a daughter with diabetes, is part of a team working to create a continuous glucose sensor. The ultimate goal is to have the sensor work with an insulin pump to create an artificial pancreas. Read about Dr. Peyser's talk at our "Last Meeting" link.

About two dozen folks turned out in April to hear about the great camps offered at Bearskin Meadow Camp. There are camps for kids of all ages, as well as camps for the entire family. The family camps are absolutely fantastic. Everyone who goes comes back raving about what a wonderful experience family camp is. For a story about Bearskin, click on "archives" and scroll down to the February 1999 meeting. For more info, visit www.dyf.org.

We had our best turnout ever in March when about 40 folks showed up to hear Joe Solowiejczyk and Dr. Cathy Egli talk about the changes they're making to the diabetes program at Children's Hospital Oakland. Joe, a Type 1 diabetic for 41 years, had great insight about diabetes and how to raise a child with a chronic illness. Dr. Egli spoke poignently about how emotionally difficult it is to treat children who have an incurable disease. It was one of our best meetings ever. You can bet we'll invite this duo back next year.

The year 2001 has been good all around for our group. Nearly two dozen folks showed up in January to hear psychiatrist Carol Peyser talk about raising kids with diabetes. About 20 people turned out in February to hear Tom Smith and Andre Capinha tell us about the variety of fun and affordable camps offered by the Diabetes Society of Santa Clara Valley.

We're doing great at our new meeting location -- Coffee Beans & Bistro in downtown Pleasanton. It's at 401 Main St., at the corner of Main and West Angela streets. (www.coffeebeansandbistro.com) This is a great place for our group. First of all, it's located in quaint, old-fashioned downtown Pleasanton. There are lots of great shops and eateries downtown. But you can get pretty much all you'll need at Coffee Beans & Bistro. This family-owned shop is both an extensive coffee shop and full-service deli. If you're pinched for time, you can grab a sandwich or salad to munch on during the meeting. If you just want a snack, there are plenty of goodies -- cookies, cheesecakes, muffins, croissants and more. Plus, all sorts of coffees and drinks from which to choose. (Bring your best listenin' ears so you can hear over the hum of the pie cooler.)

We meet in the back part of Coffee Beans & Bistro. That's the small restaurant part, behind the coffeehouse at the front of the shop.

In 2000 .... nearly 20 people braved the chilly November weather to hear attorney Chantal Sampogna talk about our kids' rights at school and elsewhere. Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is really nothing from which our children can be excluded. The key is that parents need to know this and be firm in demanding equal rights for their diabetic kids. The law is on our side. Use it, in a kind but firm manner, to make sure our kids are treated like all the other kids.

Our October meeting was popular, with 20 people showing up to hear a four-person panel talk about what it was like growing up with Type 1 diabetes. These adults gave us great insight into how we, as parents, can best take care of our diabetic kids.

Our September speaker was Otto Avvakumovits, a representative from the Alameda-based company that makes the new FreeStyle meter. The meter is small and requires a tiny amount of blood, which can be drawn painlessly from the forearm. (http://abbottdiabetescare.com) See the "Last Meeting" link for an upcoming synopsis of this interesting meeting.

  All of our speakers take time out of their busy schedules to come talk to our group. Please show your appreciation by coming to the meetings. It's only once a month, and you're bound to learn some useful information to help you take even better care of your child. Thanks!