STAR- FYI

STAR is the name of a program that M has joined this fall.

STAR: Steps Toward Adult Responsibility.

The program is sponsored by Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. The two meetings that we have attended have been on the Dartmouth College campus.

The group is for teens who have chronic conditions. Right now, the majority of them seem to have type one diabetes, but there have been students with a variety of illnesses including crohn's disease, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy.

The group is also designed for the adults who parent these young people.

It is a mentoring program. The teens get to spend time with college students who are dealing with a chronic illness, and the adults meet in a separate room with various experts and each other, to discuss the pitfalls that their children are facing, and how best to prepare them for future independence.

The kids definitely have a better time than the adults. While we are discussing care plans, we hear the kids roaring with laughter in the other room.

I first heard of the program when M attended the Winter Weekend last February. The Weekend was a program aimed at teens with type one. About 35-40 kids attended, and M enjoyed herself immensely. I had basically coerced her into going, but after attending and hearing about the STAR program, she decided that having regular meetings with others who face similar challenges might help to keep her on track, both emotionally and practically.

Now I don't know if I can draw a direct correlation between her participation in STAR and her improved attitude and A1c numbers. After all, she is maturing as well. But I do know that she is enjoying the meetings, even if they are 40 minutes away.

I enjoy them less than she. I, like most of my fellow type 1 parents, am very opinionated about what should and should not happen in the life of my child.

And we don't all agree.

But now I have a group of parents with whom I can discuss any concerns I might have.

Like how to change my doctor.

But that's another post.