Today is the anniversary of the birth of our fearless leader, AmyT.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I, her loyal assistant editor and Gal Friday, have taken over for the day to organize a special tribute to this fabulous woman, who has provided us with countless reports of late-breaking diabetes news and represented the patient community with candor, integrity and pizzazz. The DOC certainly wouldn’t be the same without her!
People often ask me how I met Amy, and honestly I feel like I’ve always known Amy! We were among the first bloggers, way back in the spring of 2005, exploring the vast and uncharted territory of the Internet. Now it’s 2011 and I’m having a blast working with Amy here at DiabetesMine, reporting on all things diabetes. She is sweet, spunky, whip-smart, and very opinionated. And yes, she’s a very good boss, too. But more important than that: she’s a good friend. I hope to celebrate many birthdays with her in the years to come!
To join me in the celebration, I’ve invited DiabetesMine’s two newest contributors, Wil and Haidee, to share some special birthday wishes:
For AmyT (T is for Terrific!)
by Wil Dubois
It was a dark and stormy night. Oh. Wait. Actually, it was a pleasant sunny afternoon in March of 2005. I’d had internet for several years, but rarely used it. But now I had Type 1 Diabetes and no one around here seemed to know much about it. So I starting Goggling it. Again and again. For many months I found nothing but crap on the internet about diabetes. Then on that pleasant day in March, I found a crazy, skinny girl who was writing Dr. Seuss diabetes.
Round and round and round it goes, and where it stops could be my toes.
I’d like to keep mine. Yes, that’s wise. I’ll keep my nerves and feet and eyes.
It took me two, maybe four seconds to fall in love with her. Her voice was fresh. Different. She was funny. And smart. And she was one of my kind. I wasn’t the only adult dx’d type 1 in the world after all. Amy’s words were like a life buoy, thrown to a drowning man in storm-tossed seas. We emailed back and forth over the months and years that followed and became good friends.
And then came the first Roche Summit. And walking into the lobby of the hotel, straight from the airport, I recognized Amy the second I saw her for the first time. And she rocked every bit as much as I knew she would. And now, what seems like a hundred years later, but is really only forty-three thousand shots and fingersticks since that day in March, I get to work with her at her wonderful website that so changed my life.
Diabetes a blessing? Not many people would think so. But for me? Hell yeah. I’m a hundred times blessed to have diabetes, and to have friends like Amy T.
And of course, what kind of birthday would it be without some celebratory… crab cake?
Happy Birthday Amy!!! Thanks for creating such an informative, witty, and supportive online environment for all of us dealing with diabetes. Enjoy your special day!
You guys ROCK!!!! Thank you for the kind words, the great memories — and of course the gluten-free crab cake!!
(If anyone is looking for me today, I’ll be getting a massage and preparing real crab cakes for dinner w/my kiddos
)
Happy Birthday, Amy!!
Happy Birthday, Amy!! And thank you, thank you, thank you for your wonderful website and all the work it takes to keep it going. I was diagnosed with Type 1 at age 55, and everyone around me was convinced my doctor was nuts. Finding your website meant finding validation that yes, adults can get Type 1 Diabetes! I have learned more information from your website than from my doctor or diabetic educator, and it was your website that informed me about the testing strip mess with Omnipod. Thanks again for bringing the best Diabetic information on the internet, and for bringing wonderful support people to help us keep from drowning, especially Wil Dubois! Have a great Birthday and a great year!!
PS – whoever did that Photoshop job is HIRED!!
Happy Birthday, Amy!
Happy Birthday. Love your blog! Thanks.
Happy BIRTHDAY! Hope it’s full of awesome memories
Keep up the great work!
Happy birthday, Amy! Hope you have a lovely day.
Happy birthday to you!!! Mmm, I’ll join you for a celebratory crab cake!
Happy Birthday! Thanks for all the wonderful info you always provide. Enjoy your day!
You will always be the Queen!
Happy birthday, Amy!!!
Happy Birthday!!! You are the B.E.S.T.
Happy birthday, Amy! May your day be bright and sunny, your cake be tasty and gluten-free, and your blood sugars be on their best behavior. L’Chaim!
Happy Birthday!! Love you!!
BT
Happy Birthday Amy T!
Happy belated birthday, Amy! You are an amazing individual, I am so happy to have met you! Wishing you a wonderful year. =)