We Can’t Imagine Life Without Our FFLs
It’s impossible to describe the impact that Friends for Life has had to our family but we all honestly can’t imagine life without the amazing people we met through FFL! In 2015 we hit seven years with Type 1 and the “seven year itch”. We were all burnt out, tired of diabetes and had faced a few obstacles with care that year. We had heard of Friends for Life in the past but since we have such a strong local community hadn’t considered it prior. We decided to book the trip and see if it could rejuvenate our spirits. It was empowering to have such direct interaction with diabetes companies and researchers which at the time really helped with some of the issues we were facing. It was amazing to meet so many from around the country in one place, that year and subsequent years we made lifelong friends that we keep in touch with all year long.
Our favorite part of FFL is that it involves the whole family. The child has their own world with sessions and friends while us parents can attend what interests us while reinforcing our relationships and continuing to grow our network. Friends for life is an incredible opportunity for the whole family to learn, grow and change their perspective about the impact of diabetes on their day to day lives. Our family is so passionate about Friends for Life that we created a nonprofit to help provide scholarships to local CT families that want to attend so they can experience the same magic as we have, year after year.
2021 was our sixth Orlando Friends for Life. As many other families did, we faced some unique and difficult times in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid and I can’t tell you how many times our FFL community leaned on each other through the year for connection and support. Your Friends for Life truly are your friends regardless of whether you get to see them in person every year. These are critical connections and relationships that will sustain through difficult times, diabetes related or not, and I’m incredibly grateful that we are a part of this community.
I hope to see your family at a future FFL. If you are considering attending and have questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
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