Book Stuff

Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal 
#8 In Fatherhood (paperback)
#7 In Fatherhood (Kindle)
#1 In Diabetes (paperback)
#6 In Diabetes (Kindle)

Add my book to your GoodReads Shelf

Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad

Social Media

 

 

Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Recipient

Winner 2011 Advocating for Another

 

Winner 2011 Editor's Choice


Recent Blog Entries
504 A1C ADA ADG Adrenaline Advocacy Anniversary Apidra Arden Arden's Writing Ask Me Anything Awards Basal Baseball Basketball bBlogger Bbook BGnow Big Blue Test Blogger Blue Friday book Books Canada Carbs Caregiver cConfessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad CGM charity CHOP Coco Cole community Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad ConsultYourDoctor Contest Coxsackie DayOfDiabetes DayOne Dblog D-Blog Day D-Blog Week DexCom D-free post diabetes Diabetes Art Day Diabetes Awareness Month Diabetes Blog Week Diabetes Hands Diabetes Mine DiabetesDaily Disney DOC D-Politics D-Resource DSMA D-Supplies endo Explicit FaceBook family Father's Day Faustman Favorite Post FDA Flexifix Follow Up Free Stuff Freelance FreeStyle fundraising G uest Post gGlucose Meter GiveAway Glucagon Glucose Meter Guest Post Guilty Health Howard Stern HuffPostLive Hurricane Irene iBGStar IDF In the News Instagram Insulet Insulin Insulin Pump Insurance Interview iPhone Irene JDRF John Sarno Katie Couric Kelly ketoacidosis Ketone LaceUp4Diabetes Life is Short Lilly Love MDI med Media Medtronic MLB MLK Mom's Choice Award MultiClix NLDS Novo Nordisk NPR OBX OffTopic Oklahoma Tornado OmniPod Parenting Perspective Petition Pharma Phillies PodCast pPerspective Pre-Bolus Prescription Preventative PWD reader mail Recall research review Roche Sanofi School Sick Day Site News SleepOver Smaller OmniPod Social Media Soft Ball Softball Spanish Speaking Spring Infusion Set SpryPub sStrip Safely Stay-at-home Dad Steve Jobs Stress Strip Safely technology Teen TheDX TipsNTricks Transparency Travel TrialNet ttechnology TuDiabetes Twitter ty type I video Walk WEGO World Diabetes Day
Search

Thursday
Dec042008

We have a winner

Thank you to everyone that made Arden’s 2009 JDRF walk such a huge success.  As you may know we were giving away a pair of tickets to the Eagle’s Monday night game against the Browns to the person that made the single largest donation to Arden’s JDRF walk.  The winning donation of $1,100 belonged to Arden’s Day supporter (and Arden’s Mom Mom) Pat McGee!

Please join me in thanking Pat and everyone that helped us reach our goal again this year.  Of course a special thanks goes to the Eagles for providing the tickets.

As the years pass it is sometimes difficult to hold on to the idea of a cure being found.  But as we saw just a few weeks ago there are some very smart people working on it and they are getting closer!  Your donations are part of the funding that they receive.  Thank you all very much!

Wednesday
Dec032008

Dont Drop CHOP Update

I just sent my letters to my Congressman and the Senators from New Jersey.  Please consider writing your representation as well, it is easy to do and available online.  You can find those website links and sample letters on this page of our site.  There is also already over 100 signatures on our petition which is fantastic for just one day’s work.  Keep it up!

Below is the letter I sent to my congressman, Chris Smith.   

December 3, 2009

Dear Congressman Smith,

I am an advocate for children’s health needs and the father of a chronically ill child.  My daughter Arden is four years old and a type I diabetic.  You may know that Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey is currently planning on removing The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) from their in-network coverage effective March 11, 2009.  Arden’s health, welfare and quality of life will be irrevocably harmed if she is unable to continue receiving  the world-class medical care that she presently gets at CHOP.

I implore you to do everything that the power and influence of your position allows to stop this from happening.  Please make sure that Arden and countless other sick New Jersey children do not lose this irreplaceable healthcare resource.  In a life full of medical struggles, the one bright spot some children have is that they live near our country’s preeminent children’s hospital.  If Horizon is allowed to drop CHOP the financial burden to their families will be immense. Many will not be able to find a way to pay the extra cost and they will be forced to seek care at other, less able institutions.

I am not sure what it says that some people are so willing to put profits above the health and happiness of our state’s children but count this letter as coming from a person that is unwilling to let that happen.  I will do everything in my power to unite like-minded people and oppose this heartless move by Horizon and it’s President and CEO William J. Marino.

I am a constituent, Arden is a constituent and we desperately require your help.  I am currently directing my efforts online to try and change this course of action.  I’ve already set up a petition, posted videos explaining the issue, am gathering support on social networking sites and  started a letter writing campaign.  Currently, I’m contacting my representation and will begin writing various New Jersey newspapers in the coming days.  Please visit Arden’s website www.ardensday.com if you are interested in following our progress.

I can’t stress enough the negative impact that this will have on my daughter and the other children of our state.  Please do your best to right this wrong.

Kind Regards,

Scott R. Benner

Monday
Dec012008

Not Again

We got news from our employer that they were switching from United Health Care to Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey at the beginning of 2009.  We were thrilled to get away from UHC and their stubborn views on diabetes care.  Thrilled until we learned that Horizon was dropping Arden’s endocrinologist and her hospital from their in-network list.  In a cost cutting effort Horizon will no longer allow thousands of New Jersey families to use the country’s preeminent children's hospital.  I’m not about to let that happen without a fight.  Please join me in telling Horizon and their president,William J. Marino (show above) that this kind of greed will not stand.   

Click on this link to find out how to write a letter, sign Arden’s petition and more...

Monday
Nov242008

Ardens Numbers Update

I just got an update from Brooke at the Alberta Diabetes Foundation.  You know their mail campaign that they launched less then two weeks ago?  The one with Arden’s little face all over it?  The one that generated $23,000 in donations in it’s first week? 

You know the one...  

The returns from week two are in and ‘Arden’s Numbers’raised another $29,000 this week- bringing the two week total to a whopping $52,000!

Saturday
Nov222008

Insulin Pump Test Drive

Arden attended a class at CHOP last week to find out if an insulin pump might be a good choice for her.  After listening to the instructor we decided to give the OmniPod a try.  

It was difficult to get her to put on the demo unit at first so her brother Cole attached it to his stomach to show her it was okay.  Once she got it on she really liked the idea of wearing it.  The OmniPod attaches to Arden (pictured above on her abdomen) and is controlled with a Blackberry sized hand unit.

We have to take a second class and pass a test before Arden’s endo can sign off on us getting the pump.  I’ll be scheduling the class next week at Arden’s quarterly endo appointment. 

The pump will allow us to deliver a much smaller dose of insulin more frequent.  Hopefully, this will allow us to maintain tighter control of her blood glucose level.  

The pump will require Arden to be poked less then she is now.  Eliminating her daily injections but not the necessary finger sticks.  We are very excited at the prospect of eliminating some of the pain from Arden’s Day.