"HOCKEY JOE"

"Hockey Joe"...this is what Joe's friend Sam calls him. I love it!

Joe started ice skating when he was 4 years old. I remember taking him to an Itty Bitty Public Skate...he skated with a crate. He loved going and picking up the toys that the teacher would spin and subsequently fling all over the rink...little rubber duckies, cars, etc. His blood sugar would usually run low (when using a crate)...so I would have to boost him up with a glucose tablet or give him a little less insulin with his snack to attempt to keep his blood sugar in range.

Then he started skating lessons ... NO CRATE ... well, Joe was not a big fan of this as a 4 year old and I remember his blood sugar would be sky high after ice skating without a crate...I only figured all this out after weeks of studying his numbers and activity levels...ARGHHH.

Now, Joe plays ice hockey on the Essex Sting "Blue Crew"...it is a House Mite Team. He has improved so much this year...between Saturday and Sunday am practices and skating for hours on our rink in the backyard. Dave and I are in awe at his passion for hockey and his ability to endure...lows and highs while skating and playing. He was out skating this am and he just didn't look quite right...and he was complaining about an itch on his left thigh...then his pants just didn't feel right...etc. I should have known....I should have known...even though I had just checked his blood sugar and it was 130 and I fed him half a granola bar (free)...it is 3 years with this crappy disease and I still miss stuff...he finally came over and complained of being low...we checked...sure enough, poor guy was 55. He ROCKS, even at a 55, he was cruising on his beloved crossovers.