This card is something quite different from my usual, but there is a special reason for that. Today is World Diabetes Day and my younger daughter (DD12) has Type 1 Diabetes (previously known as Juvenile Diabetes or Insulin Dependent Diabetes).
Unlike the more common Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 is not lifestyle related and cannot be prevented. It is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by a virus and causes the body's immune system to attack cells in the pancreas where sugar from food is turned into energy.
DD12 has to check her blood sugar levels around 6 times a day and must inject herself with insulin every time she eats and at regular intervals throughout the day 24/7, 365 days a year. There are around 140,000 Australians living with Type 1 Diabetes, most of them children or young people.
If her blood sugar levels go low that is known as Hypoglycaemia and DD12 eats jelly beans to bring her sugar levels back up to a normal level quickly. That's the reason for the design of my card, a bunch of jelly beans arranged to spell the word CURE. And the reason for my header, because jelly beans can literally be a life saver to a type 1 diabetic.
As her favourite colour jelly bean is black, I've used the gorgeous striped grosgrain ribbon in black - plus I think it looks like a licorice strap, another good thing for a hypo! I used my Versamark pen to clear emboss the jelly beans to give them that sugar-coated candy look.
I'd like to also dedicate this card in spirit to all Type 1 diabetics out there, and especially Kim and Lynda.
Thanks for calling in today.
Cheers
Kez