Using Diabetes to Make a Difference

So many blessings can come out of the hard things in life that we go through. Challenges makes us stronger, and better equip us for difficult things we face in the future. They build character, and teach us things we would have never learned the easy way. My diabetes diagnosis was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to go through, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Another huge blessing that has come out of hard times is the friends I make through them! Many of my best friends have diabetes, and I wouldn’t have ever met them if I didn’t have this disease in my life! I sent out a tweet this morning, asking my followers what the best thing about their diabetes was. Almost every single one said something about the people they have met and the connections they have made because of it! I can personally say that the friendships I have formed because of diabetes are priceless. They are worth every finger poke and every site change I have had to do, and I wouldn't trade them for the world! 

One of the most rewarding things I have gotten from my experience with diabetes is the passion it gave me for making a difference! I think it’s a natural desire to want to “make a difference” or “change the world” before one dies, but sometimes we struggle with trying figure out how we are going to do so. Diabetes gave me something to be passionate about, and also the experience to be able to empathize with people who were going through the same thing as I was!

That is not only true of diabetes, but of any other challenge we face in our lives: we share a special connection with others who are going through the same things. We can share advice, since we have already gotten through what they are trying to battle. It’s an awesome way to figure out how you are going to change the world, and to not only survive adversity, but also use it to empower yourself and others!

Soooo…mixing both my mention of the amazing friends I have made through diabetes, and my being grateful for the chance to serve others because of my diabetes, this blog post is a shout out and dedication to one of my best diabetes friends, and best friends in general, who has used her experience with diabetes to make a difference: the amazing Hadley George!

This week I am visiting Hadley in Cincinnati for the second time this year! She started an organization called Type One Teens! The group of teens (obviously, living with T1D) gets together every month to do an activity, or just hang out!  She invited to come out in November for their huge annual event, Believe in Blue, which is a gala/dance to celebrate diabetes awareness month! All the Type One Teens invite their friends to come learn about diabetes, but also to dress up, eat food, and dance the night away! It was one of my favorite events I have been to all year. I had the time of my life!

Hadley, who is only 16, has some insanely impressive event organizing skills, and I respect her so much for how mature she is! Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of spending time with her knows that she has wisdom far beyond her years (and beyond most of our years, for that matter). Most importantly, she has passion! Diabetes, and the struggles she's had because of it, has driven her to make a difference in the lives of teens who are experiencing the same thing. 

I am back in Cincinnati again this week, and got to go to one of Type One Teen’s normal events (not as big as Believe in Blue, but still totally awesome)!   We spent a few hours at Starbucks, talking about life, diabetes, and writing letters to newly diagnosed teens for JDRF to include in their Bags of Hope (Hadley is just and endless source of awesome ideas).

It is so inspiring for me to see someone who is so much younger than me have such a positive attitude about this awful disease that has been placed in her life! She is the perfect example of how we can not just get through difficult times, but thrive in them, using them to change our own life and the lives of those around us! 

Whether you start your own organization like Hadley, become a JDRF youth ambassador, wear your insulin pump at Miss America, or come up with your own creative idea about how you can help and inspire other diabetics, I challenge you to DO IT!  Use your diabetes to make a difference!

All my love,

Sierra Sandison

Miss Idaho 2014
@sierrasandison

Miss Boise's CMNH Passion

"There are countless reasons why I am proud to be a representative of the Miss Idaho Organization; from the caliber of girls I stand alongside, to the positive changes in our communities that we each work tirelessly to trigger. With that being said, few experiences in this program have touched my heart the way that the Children’s Miracle Network has. 

Despite the hours I spent in germy dance studios and tumbling gyms growing up, I was very fortunate to always have good health, and I never had to be one of the 62 children that are admitted to a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital every minute. My health has never benefited from CMN specifically, but my life surely has. 

My best friend Kim, whom I met in the Broadcast Journalism program our freshman year at BYU, has a one in 10 million neurological disorder that has paralyzed her from the neck down on two separate occasions. Each of these attacks landed her in Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake to rehabilitate and benefit from CMN firsthand. It was through her experiences, and her gratitude, that I developed my own love and appreciation for CMN. 

In turn, it helped me establish a deep passion for the partnership the Miss America Organization has with the Children’s Miracle Network. I have been lucky enough to meet a few of the miracle beneficiaries of our fundraising efforts during my years in this organization, and each experience is a bright spot in a long list of incredible opportunities, with each of their individual lights helping to make the reason I do this even more clear. 

I was able to attend two separate CMN events in just the past week and see thousands of dollars raised for this worthy cause. First was the Dance Marathon at Boise State University, where the students raised $66,217.80 by dancing for 17 hours straight, and second was the best day of the year, National Pancake Day at IHOP! If you would like to donate to CMN, you can find my personal donation page here."

- Miss Boise 2015, Dani Beckstrom

Dancing Queens Program

All of the contestants in the Miss Idaho Organization select a platform to promote during their year of service. It is there way to get involved in the community by sharing something they are passionate about. Megan Wilson, Miss Southwestern Idaho, has a platform of At-Risk Prevention: Helping Girls Reach Their Full Potential. Every year she hosts a program for young girls in the area called Dancing Queens.  It is a self-awareness program for preteen girls where topics like self-esteem, peer pressure, personal wellness, and goal setting are discussed while learning the art of Polynesian dance. Dancing Queens goes throughout the month of April and for their big final event the Dancing Queen girls get to perform and display a booth at Kids Fun Fest May 2. Megan says, "My best memory is from my first season of DQ when my quietest girl wrote me a letter saying I helped her get out of her shell. I get to play big sister to girls from various backgrounds and situations." You can register with Megan by calling 369-3854 or emailing meganwilson1@u.boisestate.edu.

Discover STEM Day at Boise State

A few weeks ago Laura Hampikian, Miss Capital City, was able to volunteer at the Discover STEM Day at Boise State. "I volunteered with the Psychology Department, where I’m currently a graduate student in their Family Studies Certificate program. We taught kids and adults about conservation tasks. According to Wikipedia: “Conservation refers to a logical thinking ability which, according to the psychologist Jean Piaget, is present in children during the preoperational stage of their development at ages 4–5, but develops in the concrete operational stage at ages 7–11. Conservation refers to the ability to determine that a certain quantity will remain the same despite adjustment of the container, shape, or apparent size." She loved the interested so many young kids had in STEM and meeting the kids who outsmarted some of the tasks. Among all the kids that were there that day she made "a billion" friends. She said, "I think it’s an important feature of gender equality to encourage women and girls to go into STEM careers. I was thrilled to see so many of both young women and men interested in science, technology, engineering, and math!"

What My Platform Has Taught Me About Bullying: Embracing Those Who Are Different

Happy October! A.K.A. Bullying Prevention Month!  My sister titleholder, Charlie Muraski, is Miss Idaho International (which is just a different pageant system) and her platform is Bullying Prevention! Today she is asking everyone to post a picture of themselves in a blue t-shirt to spread awareness. So, I want to #showyoumyshirt ;D, but I also wanted to talk about my platform, and what I’ve learned about bullying because of it!

For those of you who don’t know, my official Miss America platform is Possibilities for Disabilities. It is a program my little sister and I run which puts on sports camps for people with disabilities in order to give them opportunities to participate in activities that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.

We started it, basically to bring more fun into their lives, but we found out it did so much more!

First of all, we realized that we had taken for granted the “fun” extra-curricular activities we had been participating in our whole lives. The piano lessons, basketball practices, choir rehearsals, etc., have taught us what we love, helped us form our identity, and most importantly shown us the value of working hard to achieve our goals.

But still, we found that the program we had started was doing even more in lives of each athlete, and every volunteer.

We run the program by getting our peers to volunteer as student coaches during camp. Possibilities creates a fun and inclusive environment, which helps the athletes break down the social barriers that their disabilities present them with.

In other words, when the athletes are playing fun games, kicking soccer balls, and goofing around with their peers all day, it gives them the chance to break the ice. Before we put together the first Possibilities event, it was easy for students to be reduced to label, such as “the kid in the Special Ed class”, “the girl with autism”, “different”, etc. However, as soon as we created an environment that allowed everyone to get to know each other, the athletes were able to show their peers who they really are—and they are so, so, so much more than their disability. We found out what they enjoy, what their quirks are, what they are passionate about, and what they dream of doing with their lives.

And, without intending to, we discovered what we thought the cause of a lot of bullying is, as well as how to prevent it.

We have a fear of that which is different than us: whether it is different religions, hobbies, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, ages, or in this case, cognitive or physical abilities.

Differences can be scary, and make us uncomfortable. They have been the root of many wars, arguments, and instances of bullying; however, diversity is also the source of innovation, creativity and synergy. It just depends on our attitude, and whether or not we choose to embrace those who are different.

For those of you who know my little sister (Hailey), you know we are very different. She’s basically crazy. Crazy awesome. But, again, we are opposites. However, that is exactly what makes us a great team. Her strengths are my weaknesses, and vice versa. I am good at organizing, scheduling, casting a vision, leading a team, making and completing to do lists, etc. She is like the energizer bunny, is never in a bad mood, and is great at getting people excited. Our differences complement each other perfectly, and we couldn’t pull off our projects nearly as well without each other. That is something we should strive to do when interacting with anyone we meet: look for, acknowledge and appreciate the differences that exist between you and the people around you.

Don’t just tolerate those who are different, but love and embrace them as well. Our volunteers and athletes not only build valuable friendships with each other, but also take home an important lesson that extends well beyond working with students with disabilities: differences should not be feared—they should be celebrated. If everyone were exactly the same, this world would be so boring! Diversity is amazing, and if we learn to embrace it, rather than shy away from it, the world will be a better place.

For Bullying Prevention Month, I challenge you to befriend someone whose differences currently make you uncomfortable. No matter how old you are, whether you are in high school, college, or work a full-time job, find someone in your life that is different from you, and learn how to look past those differences. People are awesome—especially when they’re unique.

Ready, go!