We recently celebrated the start of a beautiful journey. Together, with many friends, family and colleagues Steven and I celebrated the Madison Clinic for Pediatric Diabetes at UCSF, which on November 1st will open it's doors and begin a legacy of serving hundreds of families dealing with diabetes.
The night began with Steven explaining diabetes, how parents deal with the disease and the trials that come with it. I followed by describing the steps we took to find Dr. Saleh Adi and the miraculous change that has come to our family since, while Dr. Stephen Gitelman discussed research and the future of diabetes. Dr. Adi talked about his vision for the clinic and in his amazingly empathetic way shared what it's like from his side to watch families struggle with diagnosis and then eventually ease into the normalcy that silently comes without notice when you are too busy counting carbs.
Before the amazingly fun Suite Love Express took the stage Steven explained how the name of the clinic came to be, Madison being Electra's middle name. Steven was so incredibly elegant when we initially explained the clinic to Electra, telling her how important it was to us to help Dr. Adi realize his vision, and the good feeling that comes from helping others when it's possible. Throughout the conversation she sat silently nodding with a grin on her face, but when the mention of the name was explained she broke out in a sob. There was a moment of silent confusion before I asked if those were happy or sad tears. Turns out they were tears of joy as she ecstatically, yet without words, gave her approval for what is bound to become a historical moment in the advancement of pediatric diabetes treatment for thousands of families along the west coast. Good things are in store.
