I have the grand title of  “Mentorship Chair” for our wee Vancouver Island chapter of JDRF. I wish it came with a big busby type hat a la “Loyal Order of the Water Buffaloes” because then I could at least look forward to doing the work.

It isn’t a steady sort of thing, you see. Some weeks go by and there are no referrals, other times there are 3 or 4 families in my in-box waiting to have a chance to chat with another family that’s been through it.   That really is all that “mentorship” means…one person who has spent the nights walking down the hall to check blood sugars talking to someone who is just starting out.

Those first few months dealing with a Type 1 diagnosis in the family are very isolating and this program is one that helps break through that barrier. Friends and family may love you and want to help and want to understand but there are times when that just isn’t enough. When a teacher thinks your little sugar plum would feel more comfortable going to the nurse’s room to have her mid-morning snack… or an in-law gives you the hairy eyeball for dishing out some jelly beans as a treat instead of an apple (even though you’ve counted them out so the carb value is exactly the same and it’s just after Halloween and the kid has been a real trooper). These are things we’ve all been through and it’s nice to hear it from someone else.

That, in  nutshell is what mentoring is all about. It’s a worthy activity. And I wish I had a fun hat to wear because it would help take my mind off the fact that I’m still dealing with Type 1 Diabetes. It may be for other people but it’s still the same illness and it takes me back, every time, to the early days for us.

For more information on the Mentorship program go to the JDRF website and if you’re on Vancouver Island, you’ll find me here...