This is my first year participating in Diabetes Art Day.  Lee Ann Thill started this project in 2010.  2014 marks the fifth year that people with diabetes and/or affected by diabetes are using art to share their stories and emotions along with increasing awareness about diabetes.

My art expresses my feelings about everyone in the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) and pays particular tribute to two of the brightest stars whom we have lost in recent weeks.  First is Barbara Bancroft who was an active participant at TuDiabetes with the screen name of jrtpup.  She was beloved by members of that community and you can read the many tributes to her here.  Secondly I am honoring Dean Devalerio, a fellow Minnesotan.  I knew Dean online through Facebook and was fortunate to get to know him in person through our Type 1 Saturday meet-up group. Although he was a new friend to me, others of our group had known him a long time and the community of PWD’s in the Twin Cities will have a little less sparkle without Dean. Dean was one of the early supporters of Diabetes Art Day and this year’s Art Day is dedicated to him.

My “art” uses stars made from the sparkly blue attachments collected from my Animas Ping pump reservoirs.  I call it “The Stars of the DOC.”

To view the 2014 Gallery for Diabetes Art Day, go here and then select the 2014 Gallery or browse through the artwork from previous years.