Partner in Care Awards

Every year the Oregon chapter of  the ADA gives out Partner in Care Awards.  They sent us a form to fill out to nominate up to 5 people at our child's school that we felt were worthy of this award.  Bekah has had exemplary care at school this year.  It hasn't been perfect but I like to hi-light the positives and work to bring out the best in everyone.  I wanted them to all know how much we appreciated their willingness to step up and just do an amazing job caring for our daughter.  I came up with 6 and just put them all in hoping we would receive 6 awards.  They came on Saturday in a big box!  Inside were six envelopes that each contained an award certificate along with a lapel pin.  Today we went and delivered them.  It was so fun!  Each one was touched and honored.  I loved watching their faces even though it was just a cheesy little award!  Here is the letter I wrote to the ADA.

Blank  elementary school has proven to be a great place for my daughter who is a type one diabetic to receive the support she needs in dealing with her diabetes as well as giving her a great education.

Mrs.M her fist grade teacher, has taken it upon herself to do blood glucose checks in the class room so that Rebekah doesn’t miss much learning time dealing with these routine checks. Mrs. M is skilled in the art of managing blood glucose levels. She understands that it is not a science and is able to make the artistic tweaks of knowing when a snack or extra water and exercise may be needed. Mrs. M has worked very well with Rebekah's shy disposition and helped her gain confidence this year in her management of diabetes.

Mrs. Secretary has stepped up to help with Rebekah’s diabetes care when Mrs. M is unavailable and for the first several months of the school year did Rebekah’s lunch checks and boluses. Mrs. secretary is a kind caring person and always does a great job of making sure Rebekah’s needs are taken care of.

Mrs.B has also stepped up when Mrs. M is absent to help Rebekah not have to miss learning time. Her classroom is right next door and when Rebekah needs to check her blood glucose level in Mrs. M's absence, Mrs. B fills in. Mrs. B is also a very kind and caring person and it means a lot to me to have her as a back up right next door to Rebekah’s class room.

Ms. SB is the school counselor and has done a superb job of overseeing the 504 process. She was easy to work with and took our needs/desires for Rebekah very seriously and was able to compensate for them in a very well written 504 plan. She continues to check in to make sure everything is going well for Rebekah.

Mrs. D is the school nurse and even though she is only able to be at the school one day per week, does a great job of ensuring that Rebekah is getting the care and attention that she needs.

Mrs. F the principal, has been very supportive this year to help us get everything in place that we felt was necessary for Rebekah to be safe at school as she deals with her diabetes.

Overall we feel very fortunate to have Rebekah at Blank Elementary as the staff is kind,caring and able to managing Rebekah's diabetes while she is in their care with out making it a big deal. Rebekah is safe and able to feel like the other kids for the most part. She is never excluded from activities or made the center of attention because of her diabetes.