#story's blog-versary event

[soh-da-meatball]

Happy Blog-versary @storyweaverofgondor !!!! 🙆‍♀️♥♥ For the Cat-ucopia event I selected Cats Kilworth House 2019 because everything about that production is just so interesting and I've always wanted to draw something from it! For this artwork my initial plan was to just draw Tugger, but then I kept looking at the costume designs and set designs and going down a rabbit hole and AH what the heck let's draw the all three Doot Bros HAHA

I was struggling to paint like how I usually do when I was working on this painting so I changed it up a little and tried out something different this time! I referenced Kishimoto's colored art for Naruto and tried to replicate it with digital art, hopefully it works xD; it's definitely something different! Thank you so much to @storyweaverofgondor for hosting this event and for being such a wonderful member of the CATS fandom!! ♥♥ Here's to another year of funky lil cats dancing away 🥰♥

[rainbowratsstuff]

Here's my contribution to @storyweaverofgondor blog-versary event!

I got Shiki Cats, and I've always wanted to make a poster for Cats so I decided to try pushing myself to do this. It took a long time but I'm proud I managed to do it all and fit so many characters in.

The cats wiki was very helpful for giving me all the references images I needed so thanks to everyone who's contributed to that.

[storyweaverofgondor]

Mexico Bombalurina

One of my favorite non-rep Bombas! I used a combination of the 2013 and 2018 tours as reference. I’m really proud of how she turned out!

@uppastthejelliclemoon

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

bombalurina + macavity

for the Opera Populaire production, I do hc that Bombalurina and Macavity were in a relationship prior to the events of the show. They had a dynamic similar to 2019 Bombalurina and Macavity, but Bombalurina made the decision to leave after having her kitten, Electra.

my second contribution to @storyweaverofgondor's event, this was fun for me bc bombacavity isn't a pairing i usually think about, but from the beginning when i discovered Opera Populaire, i KNEW these two had some bitter history between them

[falasta]

Seeing the last week of Vienna was an absolute blast (though a heartbreaking one in many ways) not the least because the cast just "let it all out" in so many fun ways. Witness Jan-Eike Majert and Hannah Kenna Thomas deciding to ship Victoria and Mungojerrie progressively throughout the week.

Jerrie takes notice of Victoria, catches her eye, and doesn't-quite-brush his hand against her before gesturing to her and turning away. Victoria is Intrigued.

This time Jerrie gets a little closer as Victoria looks for him -- and edges in to gently brush his hand against her leg. He gives the Audience an unabashed Stare before turning away.

Jerrie slides in but Surprise! this is not his Usual Victoria! Suzie Murphy has taken over for White Cat (a Surprise-- her last stage role was supposed to be the week before. Both Hannah and Johnny Randall were missing from their expected roles, leaving Riccardo and Suzie to step in).

Suzie is a proper Victoria--she touches paws with Carbucketty as she is *supposed* to do at this point. Jan!Jerrie comes in close only to notice that this is Little Worried Victoria and turns away like a proper Gentleman.

(Suzie Murphy always looks slightly Worried in her roles due to the adorable way she paints her eyebrows.)

Back to Hannah Victoria! Jerrie demonstrates his best Munkustance and leans in eagerly as Victoria turns back toward him. He reaches out to brush her elbow before turning away again.

And finally Jerrie moves in -- Victoria already turning towards him as he sneaks in a nuzzle. She makes a full turn in toward him as he runs his hands down her back in full classic position for the White Cat lift. and just as he gets his hands on her hips, he notices the Audience and sneaks away. He was So Close! (Bonus Sinisi!Carbucketty being his usual Dramatic Self in the foregound, not bothering to be anywhere near his usual spot. Apparently at this point Carbucketty has given up and relinquished his place to these two getting progressively frisky throughout the week.

Poor Sinisi spent most of this show (his last) weeping into his armwarmers and clutching his castmates.

Bonus Alexanderstrap sneaking a comforting hand back toward him at the end of the show:

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Cats-ucopia: Paris 1989

For @storyweaverofgondor‘s blog anniversary event, I did something I didn’t think of at first - I retranslated JSfJC from the original into a new (better imo) version.(If you’ve known me long enough, you can realise how much I am annoyed by the translations.) I really liked comparing the original to the English lyrics, so this was fun!

(I also wanted to sing it and edit with background music, but I fell quite sick this morning and that is Not Possible.)

Translation under the cut!

Italics represents lyrics that are the same in the original version. I tried to make it more literal than the original, so as to preserve as much of T. S. Eliot’s original text as possible.

“CHANTS JELLICLE POUR CHATS JELLICLES”

Êtes-vous né aveugle ?

Voyez-vous dans le noir ?

Sur le trône d’un roi

Pourriez-vous vous asseoir ?

 Peut-on dire de vos cris

Qu’ils sont pires que vos crocs ?

Êtes-vous roi de Paris

Quand vous marchez le soir ?

 Parce que          

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont*

Jellicles vont et Jellicles f’raient

Jellicle f’raient et Jellicles peuvent

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont

 Quand vous êtes dans l’air, tombez-vous sur vos pieds ?

Sentez-vous les changements qui se passent dans l’air ?

Pouvez-vous retrouver, aveugle, votre chemin ?

Savez-vous pénétrer dans la Félinosphère ?

 Parce que

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont

Jellicles vont et Jellicles peuvent

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont

Jellicles vont et Jellicles peuvent

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont

 Les repaires des sorcières, pouvez-vous y aller ?

Êtes-vous ami des loups, des grimoires et des sorts ?

Connaissiez-vous Mesmer ? Ou bien le Chat Botté ?

Êtes-vous diplômé du ciel et de l’enfer ?

 Avez-vous l’œil d’un lynx, ou le regard d’un sphinx ?

Prenez-vous l’avant-scène quand vous chassez un rat ?

Étiez-vous donc présent au temps des pharaons ?

Si vous (y) êtes et vous fûtes, vous êtes chat Jellicle

 Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

 Nous sommes des saltimbanques sur un trapèze de l’air

Tourner des roulades, bondir en arrière

Courir le long d’un mur, sauter parmi les arbres

Balancer sur une barre, marcher le long d’un fil

 Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles font

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles font

 Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

 Êtes-vous capable de chanter en plus d’une clé ?

Des duets de Rossini et des valses de Strauss ?

Pouvez-vous (comme les chats peuvent) commencer à « do »

Provoquer des applau-diss’ments résonants ?

 Les chats Jellicles sont reines de la nuit

Chantant à des hauteurs de génie

Vocalisant des chants du « Messie »

Hallelujah, un chœur de magie !

 La mystique divinité d’la félinité décompléxée

Dans la cathédrale sonne « Vivat » !

Vie immortelle au chat éternel

Félin, fidèle, franc et loyal

Aux autres qui font (quoi)

 Jellicles font et Jellicles peuvent

Jellicles peuvent et Jellicles vont

Des chats Jellicles et des chants Jellicles

Jellicles vieux et Jellicles jeunes

Chanson Jellicle et danse Jellicle

 Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

 Des chats pratiques, des chats dramatiques

Des chats pragmatiques, des chats fanatiques

Des chats oratoriques, des chats oraclo-delphiques

Des chats sceptiques, des chats dyspeptiques

 Des chats romantiques, des chats pédantiques

Des chats critiques, des chats parasites

Des chats allégoriques, des chats métaphoriques

Des chats statistiques, des chats mystiques

 Des chats politiques, des chats hypocrites

Des chats clériques, des chats hystériques

Des chats cyniques, des chats rabbiniques

 Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

Chants Jellicles pour Chats Jellicles

 Il y a un homme là-bas avec un air surpris

Comme s’il voulait dire, « alors ça j’y crois pas »

Est-ce que je vois vraiment, de mes propres deux yeux

Un homme qui ne connaît pas les chats Jellicles ?

 Qu’est-ce qu’un chat Jellicle ? QU’EST-CE QU’UN CHAT JELLICLE ?

 * « vont » can be pronounced like « font » interchangeably (and the other way round too)

---

Well, I hope someone’ll read it, and like it! I did try to keep some original terms so as to honour the original production, but I changed stuff quite a bit.

Happy blog-versary, story!

[godnattakatta]

Zürich Jemima!

[storyweaverofgondor]

Oh, this is so cool! I love how you drew his face and the shading of the cloth. It’s so pretty!

Here's my contribution to @storyweaverofgondor blog- event!

I've got Tecklenburg 2015!

I've Always enjoyed the Areal dancing scene and I just rely wanted to draw a pose that would be fun to dare.

So enjoy!

[storyweaverofgondor]

Gothenburg Jemibub

I love pink Jemibubs! And i love Cats Gothenburg with my whole heart! I have been wanting to draw her for a long time and i am very happy with how she turned out.

@uppastthejelliclemoon

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

rum tum tugger + mistoffelees

their vibe is honestly off the charts, and i'm really very obsessed with them being the main protectors of the tribe while demestrap steps into the roles as the leaders of the jellicles

it is a surprise to literally no one that my third moodboard for Opera Populaire is a tuggoffelees moodboard!

additional hcs on this mistoffelees and tugger:

i do hc Mistoffelees as nonbinary, so the colors of the moodboard also include the colors of the nonbinary flag!

this Tugger and Mistoffelees have been together for quite a while, and are EXTREMELY protective of every single member of their tribe. while Munkustrap and Demeter will be the future leaders of the tribe, Tugger and Mistoffelees will be their seconds, and it is obvious in the way they treat the rest of the tribe.

i personal hc this production's version of Macavity to be more of a mad scientist, so i have a hc that early in their relationship, Macavity kidnapped Mistoffelees in order to attempt to harness their magic. This event was one of the catalysts for Bombalurina to leave him, as she helped Tugger and Munkustrap rescue Mistoffelees.

because of this, Tugger and Mistoffelees are both very wary of being without each other, and will go to the ends of the earth to make sure the other is okay and safe

i just think they're neat <3

@storyweaverofgondor

[noriseyebrow]

Cats Cat-ucopia Event Gifset Part 1

[storyweaverofgondor]

Oh, i love them! These are fantastic!

Pride flag Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer from Cats Lahti for @storyweaverofgondor's Cat-ucopia event. Thanks for running this and happy blog-versary!! ♥️♥️♥️

[year2000electronics]

do you have any tips or suggestions for someone wanting to make their own oc story? your ocs and their stories are so insanely cool but i have no idea where i’d even begin to make one!

also happy y2kvr-versary ! late i know but it was still the ask blog that caused me to follow you and i’ve just stuck around for your other content after. :)

HMMMM lemme just spill a bunch of my thoughts all at once, this is just some stuff i personally like doing with my own oc stories! by no means is this a comprehensive list and i am not a professional!

1. accept the fact that you’re probably going to need minor/side characters. of course that isn’t always the case, there are story types that only focus on a handful of characters, but let’s use the reckoning as an example: even though i love all the characters there dearly, it’s about sinclair and his donning and subsequent subverting of the “mythological hero” mantle by taking on the vices’ challenge. montez and duncan, the other two archangels, are there to serve as a secondary antagonist in holy orders and bring some more life to the story’s world respectively, and That’s Okay. recognizing that not all your characters are gonna be the most specialest boys is a great place to start with structuring an oc story imo!

2. KEEP AT IT. the reckoning as it exists now didn’t truly come together until 2020, which is when the ask blog was made. cardine (the city the vices reside in) is such a key, important concept that drives the story along and the reckoning wouldn’t be nearly as good without it, and that only got introduced in one of the final drafts pre-ask blog!! reworks, practice with laying out the events, thinking and re-thinking of stuff and spending years with it is really good. it’s healthy. i mean a lot of great films and tv get ‘saved’ at the last minute from being terrible by one terrible concept being scrapped so revising and not being afraid to change things is your best friend

3. learn some rules. i’m of the firm belief that storytelling should be an all-access hobby for everyone, so you don’t have to read all of save the cat and then write out a full script or anything, but like. turn on a movie you like, or read a book you love. think about what they’re doing to convey primary themes to you. pick out the themes, actually, that’s good too. being able to pick up on themes that aren’t just being stated to you as if it’s dialogue from sonic heroes is a great teacher on how to subtly weave those themes into your story

4. don’t be afraid to break those rules! a lot of that stuff is great to pick up but at the same time they’re YOUR characters, and if you find yourself getting bored by playing too ���by the book”, nobody said you can’t change how things work. for example, a lot of my oc stories have “villain protagonists” because i just really connect with the way ‘villains’ present themselves in media. if you find yourself fixating on a side character and brushing your main character aside? screw it! you can just make the story about them! what if a 7/11 clerk went on an adventure instead of the main guy!!

5. INSPIRATION IS YOUR FRIEND. WEAR IT ON YOUR SLEEVE. i don’t mean you have to publicly disclose every single thing you were inspired by, but the amazing digital circus is REALLY big right now, and gooseworx has told people IHNMAIMS and the raggedy ann movie were big inspos and she clearly loves those things because they uplift the work higher! (plus it gave people a new appreciation for those things) and, imo, understanding what inspires you and celebrating it is a lot better of a mindset than going into something out of sheer spite (like you’ll see a lot of people online making very inflammatory “i alone could fix a piece of media that had to go through an entire writer’s room as well as corporate mandates, gosh why doesn’t everyone just Make Things Good?” type posts on social media, and i find myself straying more and more away from that). best example i can think of are all those very ill-fated “original alien stories” that su criticals made back in the day that were even more confusing than the gems and everyone had to pretend that “of course it makes more sense for the aliens to be flowers, gosh, why didn’t rebecca sugar think of this? we’re so smart”. my point is hate and shame can fizzle out quickly but creativity is forever

6. and of course, always make sure you’re actually having a good experience with the process. fun, catharsis, importance, etc. if it sucks, you can literally hit the bricks. i say that with experience because before my original superhero story existed (iris of the storm), there was another (problem students). it was dormant as a story for a really long time because i had accidentally made a superhero story without any of the superhero tropes i loved, but i couldn’t just… delete it all! OH WAIT. YES I COULD. i started it all over and got rid of ocs that i was glad i made but don’t need anymore, and i’ve never been happier cos iris of the storm is actually fun for me.

BUT YEAH THATS IT. thumbs up

[mangokiwitropicalswirl]

Fic Masterpost (Updated)

(UPDATING 11/1/2017 to add links to a couple recent stories)

6/29/2017: It’s my one year Tumblr-versary!  A year ago at this time, I could not have imagined all the shared craziness, fun and friendship I would stumble into by rejoining The X Files fandom. It has been a balm for me during a difficult year of adjustment and sleep deprivation after having my second kid. I needed this place and my “pocket friends” so much. As a thank you and commemoration of the year, here’s a masterpost of my fic. Having you all as an audience of readers has made this year one of the best writing years of my life – I wish I’d had time to write more. I blame the baby. 

Listed in the order they were written. (If you prefer to read on Tumblr, everything is tagged #mywriting on my blog).

The Hard Way:  Detour missing scene

Stealing First: The Unnatural, post ep 

Vital Signs: Field Trip, post ep (continues thread from “Stealing First” but can be standalone)

Reach of Justice: Terminal Intensity: a season two AU, written for the X Files Revisited challenge. (4 chapters so far, WIP)

Prometheus Revisited: a season six AU, also written for the X Files Revisited challenge

Aprons and Undershirts  and The Smell of Someone You Love: two-part Thanksgiving story, fluffy as heck

“It’s a lot shorter than I was expecting” : from a prompt

The Twelve Tropes of Christmas: a 12-part story in which I tried to play on a different fandom trope in each chapter

Holding Back: Pusher, post-ep

Theoretical Physics: Triangle, post-ep

Calling Bluffs: The Pine Bluff Variant, post-ep

The Gift: Tithonus, post-ep

“On the morning Scully marries him…”: A little contribution to @aloysiavirgata 's “Henry” Universe in which Scully marries again later in life

Paging Dr. Scully: a season 1 AU in which Scully is an ER doc who meets Mulder during the events of Squeeze and their relationship goes from there. (6 chapters so far, WIP)

How He Asked: When did Mulder ask Scully to marry him? My take. (7 chapters, competed)

[storyweaverofgondor]

I LOVE THESE! THEY ARE FANTASTIC!!!

For my entry in the Cat-ucopia event I redrew some cat memes with a couple 1998 jellicles!

Rumpelteazer was by far the hardest, but I’m proud of how each of them came out!

Image descriptions in alt text

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

Logan Merwin: The T1 Boy Behind the 'Fueled By Insulin' Race Truck

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/logan-merwin-the-t1-boy-behind-the-fueled-by-insulin-race-truck/

Logan Merwin: The T1 Boy Behind the 'Fueled By Insulin' Race Truck

Since he was just a toddler, 10-year-old Logan Merwin in Connecticut has had a love for cars that's evolved from playing with Hot Wheels toy cars to big dreams of monster truck racing when he grows up. Given that he's been living with type 1 since just 17 months old so it's all he's ever known, Logan is channeling his passion into making a difference through diabetes awareness and advocacy.

Quite literally, Logan is "Fueled By Insulin" and is the inspiration behind a very cool diabetes-themed racing truck dubbed "New England's First Type 1 Awareness Racing Truck." He's made the New England news recently, with truck driver and team owner Tony Lafo Racing and their sponsor American Sign Motorsports taking Logan's story to heart and creating the Fueled By Insulin campaign to support the beloved Children With Diabetes organization. Longtime racer Lafo is taking this cool diabetes-themed #82 Ford F-150 Pro-Truck to races all around the New England, most recently on April 29 and this coming weekend on May 7.

Very cool, and it happens to coincide with the month of May, when America revs up its engines to mark NASCAR racing season. Coincidentally, but unconnected to Logan's story, the JDRF has a new initiative on that front: T1D, Motorcraft, and Me, that makes this an especially timely of story to share.

Today, we're thrilled to share an interview with Logan's devoted D-Mom Samantha, all about the awesome stuff they've got going on these days.

Talking Insulin and Trucks with D-Mom Samantha Merwin

DM) Hi Samantha, of course we're going to ask you to start by sharing Logan’s diagnosis story...

SM) Logan was diagnosed July 11, 2008, and is now 10 years old, and next summer we’re planning great things for his 10-year dia-versary in 2018.

As a baby, he was always playful with us, energetic and ready to start his day. He had his 15-month pediatrician check and had been sick right afterwards for days. He recovered, but a couple of weeks later at 16 months we noticed that he was eating less and drinking more. He was filling diapers constantly and withdrawn. Over the course of a couple more weeks he stopped eating anything but small snacks. We still thought it was one of those kid’s phases but grew more anxious when we were at a birthday party and he wouldn't play or connect with the kids; he just kept drinking and hanging around us. We called the pediatricians office 3 days later because when he started sleeping several hours later every morning, we knew something was wrong -- as he was always like he is now, jumps up ready to start his day. We asked for an appointment later that week but thankfully they recognized the symptoms and called us back to come in that same night. They were literally waiting for us, whisked us in, pricked his finger and sent us to the children’s hospital. We caught it early as he wasn't in DKA yet, his blood sugar was in the higher 500's so we didn't have to get admitted.

What a scary transition to have to make...

Yes, we went back and forth for a few days getting educated on what we would now have to do to keep him alive. Those first three months were a rough road until we put him on a pump. He hated the shots and it was mentally draining on all of us to do them.

Anyone else in the family with diabetes?

No one else in my family has it, but my husband’s brother was diagnosed with type 1 when he was in college, in his early 20's.

Did that create a special bond between Logan and his uncle, and how is your brother-in-law doing these days with his T1D?

I wish they lived closer so we could have free, safe babysitting! We have no relatives within close geography here. When they see each other during our annual visits to Chicago, they definitely have their own conversations about type 1 and they definitely do test together.

Well, it seems you're creating an extended online family with your blogging. Can you share the story behind the Elbow Bump Kid blog?

Logan was trying to think of a catchy fundraising name or slogan when he started fundraising for CWD in 2016, and he decided on elbowbumpchallenge, which turned into elbowbumpkid -- since he bumped the most elbows EVER at the FFL events! Pretty funny, but he's known for it in school as well. They usually shake hands when entering the classroom and Logan has been elbow bumping instead every year. Here's our very first blog post, about the origin of the elbow bump.

We understand Logan's also a runner, doing 5K and 10K events. How did he get started with that?

Logan wouldn't play team sports until second grade and his favorite part of soccer, etc., was always the running. We had a running club at school that year and he loved it. That started his love for running. I wish we had more time in the day to have him practice more; we rarely have time for more than a mile after school.

Does diabetes get in the way when he’s running?

Well, since he was diagnosed as a baby, he has never known a life outside of T1D.

His diabetes does slow him down with running occasionally but mostly it's the combo of the asthma. We really have to prep well for both diseases or it's disastrous, as we have experienced! He did a great job in the Disney 5K running for JDRF in January, and he's looking forward to practicing to run the 5K for JDRF and the 10K for Children With Diabetes in January 2018.

And how did he first develop such a love for cars and racing?

He’s always been into cars in some form, he used to sleep with a Hot Wheel in his hand when he was 2 -- it was a little gold car. When we lost power during Hurricane Sandy for days, we piled Hot Wheels outside our house and let him race them down our walkway. He was into monster trucks and classic cars for a while as well. While the Hot Wheels phase died down for a bit, it came back in full force over the past year. For a school project last year, he pulled the town tax records on cars listed registered in town, then sat in center of town recording cars that drove by to see if it matched with town records.

He also decided last year that he was saving to buy a Lamborghini when he's 18, so as he gets money he goes to the bank (with whatever he doesn't spend) and deposits it. He's pretty dedicated to that. We ran into a dealer when we were in London and he was able to get a pic or two up close!

That’s too funny! Any plans to go into racing when he gets older?

Since he was around 4, Logan decided he was going to be a monster truck driver on the weekends when he grows up. His main job will be running the hotel he plans on building and working at his bank. Or as a coin inspector for one of the federal mints. He can't decide... then again, he’s 10. But it's always something involved with cars on the weekends. Who knows with this kid, anything is possible!

Anyone particular in the racing or running communities who's been an inspiration to Logan?

When Logan was little, my friend Jen sent him a video of NASCAR driver Ryan Reed, who we had never heard of prior to that. He has looked up to him since as a role model. He also met IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball at Friends For Life in 2016 so he has multiple role models that he follows related to racing cars. On running, he recently met Diathlete Gavin Griffiths while we were on spring break in London and has enjoyed following him on social media and reading his stories.

We are really lucky as he has had opportunities through FFL and otherwise to meet amazing role models in sports and life. He really feels like he can do anything and won't be limited when he grows up thanks to these experiences.

Let’s talk about race-truck driver Tony Lafo and the fundraising support…

I'm sure you listened to Stacey Simms' Diabetes Connections podcast, and what I said there is true about how we met Tony Lafo, driver and owner of Fueled By Insulin – it really was that simple!

He was a mystery donor to Logan's random JDRF campaign pushes over the years, as I always post them in our town Facebook group once a year when I want to make a goal. We didn't have an email or address for him until this year when for some reason the website had his email listed, so I could send a personal thank you. A few weeks later, I had posted a fundraiser Logan was doing at a local supermarket and Tony reached out to us to discuss the race truck partnership.

We brought it to Jeff (Hitchcock) and Laura (Billetdeaux) of CWD, and here we are, days from the first race on April 29. He's SUCH a nice guy and his whole crew has been so nice to Logan. He's been stopping down most Tuesdays and either playing Hot Wheels with at least one of them or sweeping their floors while they work on the truck. He doesn't know any other type 1's other than Logan, and he would prefer to help somebody local than send off a check somewhere. When he's not racing he's a full-time Fire Service Volunteer.

How cool! What’s the fundraising commitment?

Tony Lafo Racing, LLC, will help raise awareness by featuring the CWD logo on the #82 Ford F-150 Pro-Truck, as well as the Hauler and T-shirts and will donate 10% of race winnings to Logan's fundraising efforts during 2017 -- with a minimum pledge of $1,000.

What kind of challenges are you facing as Logan trains?

Logan isn't out of school until mid-June so his running right now is a running club on Thursdays and whatever we can do on weekends. We plan to do a practice 5K each month starting in May to gear up for January, slow and steady at first. My biggest challenge is figuring out the minimum I have to carry with me, his supplies weighed me down a lot. When we practice locally, I usually just toss the bag down somewhere but having it on me the whole time was a lot of weight (EpiPens, inhaler, smarties, juice, Dexcom, meter, and so on). We have been concentrating on the fundraising part right now, planning events to fundraise to meet his goals.

What else does this amazing kid have planned?

He will definitely take his advocacy to the next level, sooner rather than later. Right now he's focused on fundraising and raising awareness for type 1 where he can. I suspect in future years, he will be involved with advocating to ensure everyone has access to basic supplies. We have had a lot of conversations, once he realized that not everyone can afford insulin or a Dexcom. It's an ongoing conversation and if I felt there was a good opportunity for him to get involved in a couple of years, I'd present it to him and let him decide. We always make him feel comfortable that no matter what happens, he will have access to his Dexcom and insulin, but he's aware of the challenges and concerned for others. He's a very active kid and can't imagine not having his Dexcom to help manage his care.

Your family seems very supportive of so many different D-Community orgs. Can you tell us about those connections?

We have been touched by so many nonprofits over the almost 9 years with type 1. We have a love for JDRF and do the run every year; Logan loves the pen pal program from Beyond Type 1, and I love their ongoing constant articles and communication. I really feel like they have connected the larger diabetes community.

Regarding the CWD Friends for Life conference, I knew about the event for years but didn't sign up until 2015 as we were starting to experience our 7-year itch. I was looking for something different to help rejuvenate us and not free-fall into burnout. CWD does a great job with these events, bringing children and families together in a safe environment where they bond and have fun while learning. As parents there are a ton of sessions for us on everything you can imagine from learning about new technology to support groups. So we both loved it our first year. Logan even had a bunch of people sing happy dia-versary to him on his 7-year date. When returning to the event in 2016, Logan was inspired to write a speech to ask other kids to help CWD and bring awareness to the need for fundraising for the event. He loves being around "his people," especially the teenagers and young adults with T1D. He's inspired by them and can't wait to help at a CWD event when he's older like them!

And you're involved with the #WeAreNotWaiting movement too, right?

Yes, there are so many other nonprofits we adore and I hate leaving anyone out, like Nightscout Foundation, where we have access for the nurse at school to view Logan's blood sugars when he's there to help keep him safe. While we have to narrow our financial/fundraising focus to make an impact, we will support the organizations that help Logan and other T1 kids wherever we can, whenever we can. Logan always says that while JDRF funds for a cure, so many other nonprofits like CWD help kids in their lives every day until there's a cure. So we focus on both aspects -- fundraising for a cure and helping kids live full and healthy lives with the disease.

Thanks so much for sharing your family's story, Samantha! Can't wait to see what the future has in store for Logan, and we'll definitely be on lookout for that cool race truck!

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

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