The New Lauren's Hope Medical ID Bracelet Blog

We have recently moved the official Lauren's Hope Medical ID Bracelet blog to http://blog.laurenshope.com

We hope you'll come over, grab a cup of tea and stay awhile!

New! Custom Engraved Stainless Steel Water Bottles

Summer time is approaching and we know that means more time spent outdoors.  Bike rides, picnics, soccer games and evening walks will soon become a weekly treat and we have just the thing to those activities picture perfect.

Custom Engraved Steel Water Bottles!!

These bottles are eco-friendly and make a great gift for anyone whose life is touched by diabetes.  Lauren's Hope Medical ID is a PROUD sponsor of the JDRF and we know these bottles will be perfect for your Walk for Cure activities this summer.

You can find these custom engraved water bottles and more on our site here:
http://laurenshope.com/products/221/stainless-steel-water-bottles

Lauren's Hope is being featured on the The Doctors TV show!

Everyone here at Lauren's Hope is thrilled that this afternoon our bracelets are being featured on the popular medical TV show, The Doctors. The show airs TODAY at 2 pm CST on NBC.  Check your listings for viewing times.

The show will be discussing healthy recipes, life style changes and the importance of wearing a medical ID.  Please share this exciting news with your friends and call us at 1-800-360-8680 with any questions.

Introducing our diabetes educator friend, Tish

When we asked for your stories on how a Lauren's Hope medical ID bracelet has impacted your life we were blown away by the amazing response.  If you haven't met our recent contest winner, Grace, you can learn more about her story here.  There were so many wonderful entries, but Tish, a registered Diabetes Educator, really captured our hearts. 

Here is her story.

I really just want to share briefly how Lauren’s Hope bracelets have helped me and other persons with diabetes. I have lived with diabetes for about 32 years now, and have seen many technological changes. Most of these changes have been from big and cumbersome to much smaller and easier to use. Glucose monitors are a good example. I remember as a child not wearing any ID because they didn’t have such a thing and back then they were not so nice looking when they did appear on the market.

I am a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator and I have noticed throughout the years that when I speak to groups of persons with diabetes, I am amazed at how many diabetics do not wear medical identification. My story lies with the group of kids that I work with who have Type 1 diabetes. When I show the young girls my medical id that contains the “mood” stones and they place their little hands upon it and watch it change colors they are fascinated and always desire to wear a bracelet just like mine. Their parents are also delighted. They don’t even know it is a medical ID.


When I teach our group Type 2 class and I am flailing my arms through the air (which I do when I talk) and then ask several hours later, did any of you notice my medical ID. Most of them say they thought it was just a bracelet and then I get to tell my stories. Both women and men are delighted that the medical ID’s are not big and ugly and always choose to pick up a flyer and I hope purchase an ID. They now understand that the EMT’s will look at arms, legs and neck and perhaps save their life.


So, that is my story. I love the fact that you have provided “cool” looking medical ID’s and I get to share them with the young and old alike.

Thanks.


Tish Wright

Thank you to everyone who entered our story contest!  We have added a link to our website where you can enter your story, along with a picture.  Go to http://www.laurenshope.com/ then scroll down to the bottom and click "Tell us your story"

So, who is Lauren?

We are often asked who Lauren is and love telling the story of how Lauren's Hope got its name.  Looking back on how it all began it's really a bit serendipitous.  You see, Denise and LeAnn were busy making mother's bracelets on the craft show circuit and Denise's neighborhood babysitter requested a pretty bracelet be made for her.  The babysitter's name was Lauren and she has Diabetes.  She was less than enthusastic about wearing something ugly and uncomfortable and requested something pretty.  Denise and LeAnn pulled out their most beautiful beads, spent many sleepness nights working on styles and emerged from their studio just a few days later with the first interchangable medical ID bracelet.  Lauren was thrilled with her bracelet and Denise and LeAnn were so encouraged by the rave reviews Lauren's doctors and friends were giving their new creation they never put those beads away.  Since the early days of 2001 Denise and LeAnn have created thousands of medical bracelets for girls, boys, men and women. 

We are lucky enough to keep up with Lauren through facebook and recently asked her to share some of what's going on in her life now and how Lauren's Hope has impacted her life.
 

My name is Lauren Philips, and like many others, I didn't like wearing my medical ID bracelet.  Denise and LeAnn were so kind to make me a fashionable ID bracelet that I would be comfortable wearing everyday.  I was given my first bracelet when I was 13 years old.  I am now 22 years old and still love the bracelets Denise and LeAnn designed for me! They have always been so functional and cute for everyday life.  I have been so fortunate to have both Denise and LeAnn in my life.  Recently, I moved out east to New York City to pursue a dream of mine.  I first fell in love with NYC when I traveled there with Denise and LeAnn to present the Lauren Hope Bracelets on the Ananda Lewis Show.  I always said I would live there at some point in my life.  This past December I moved out to NYC to become a nanny and finish my degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.  Having these amazing bracelets has allowed me to travel, go away to college, and even move 2 thousand miles away!

Our Winner is...Grace!

We want to thank each and every person who sent us their wonderful stories.  We had such a great time reading each entry. It truly means the world to us when we get to share in your experiences and hear what your Lauren's Hope bracelet means to you.  It was practically impossible for us to choose just 1 story among so many, but we managed to narrow it down to a 7 year old doll named Grace. 

Here is Grace's story

On January 9, 2009 our lives changed. Our 6 year old daughter, Grace, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We spent five very long days in the hospital, learning to care for her. It was a shock to our family and to her. We left the hospital as different people, now coping with a lifelong chronic illness.

There was so much to absorb in those early days of diagnosis. I had to learn so much about insulin, carbohydrates, carb counting, dosing and syringes. It was enlightening and also scary. I knew no one who had a child this young with Type 1 diabetes. As I spoke with the doctors and nurses at the hospital, they all would mention that Grace should wear a medical alert bracelet of some kind now. Among all the things I now had to do, I added this to my list.

I went online. I would show Grace the bracelet and she would respond ‘It looks like a boy’s bracelet.” or “That’s not pretty, like a girl would wear.” She was still 6 years old. She wanted something pretty that would sparkle. As I searched, I happened onto laurenshope.com and lo and behold, there, right there, on their webpage, they had sparkly bracelets. I scanned through to find the pinkest one I could find, ‘Carole’s Choice’ and I showed it to Grace. Her face lit up. ‘That, Mama, THAT’S a girl’s bracelet. That’s the one I want.” I ordered it right then and there, from the hospital room.

Grace is now the proud owner of three Lauren’s Hope bracelets. She wears them every day. She adores how they sparkle and look ‘girly.’ As her mother, I wanted a bracelet that was a medical ID for her and also was something that she wanted to wear. I found it at Lauren’s Hope. It gives me great pleasure to know I have found something that she willingly and proudly wears.

I have found strength from others in this last year with Type 1. Friends and support online that I would never have known have surfaced in our lives. People are good. It will all be OK. We will carry on with this chronic illness. I will raise a child with diabetes, not a diabetic child. The Lauren’s Hope bracelet reminds me that while she has Type 1, she never stops being a little girl, who wants sparkly things.

You can read more about Grace's story at her blog: http://www.asweetgrace.blogspot.com

Does Your Bracelet Have a Story To Tell?

At Lauren's Hope, we know that we make more than jewelry. We take joy in knowing that our products enhance quality of life and have even saved lives. Over the years many of our customers have written us to share stories about their bracelets and the profound impact it has had in their life. Many received the gift from someone special in their lives, or experienced first-hand how important it is to have that vital medical information with them at all times.

We would love to hear your story! Please feel free to include pictures as well.

We are looking for stories for Mother's Day and Father's Day in particular. As a parent, how has having a Lauren's Hope bracelet changed your life or the life of your child? Did you purchase a Lauren's Hope bracelet for your Mom or Dad? Tell us why they are special and how the bracelet has helped you and them. Let us know how your bracelet has helped you.

Please email your story to denise@laurenshope.com

Please be sure to include the following:
Your Name


Your Email address


A phone number to contact you in case we have questions


Your story

Stories received by March 15th will be entered in a drawing to receive a gift certificate valued at $80.00 for you to use or to share.

Stories will become the property of Lauren's Hope Medical ID Bracelets and may be published on our web site or used in our company press releases. Who knows... Maybe you'll be famous!

Sneak Peaks of Brand New Styles

With Spring approaching the designers at Lauren's Hope have been working hard on new styles with bright, cheerful colors to help welcome the warmer weather and wardrobe changes. 
We are also creating several new options for men, including a larger more masculine medical ID tag.

Here is a sneak peak of styles we'll be introducing soon.

Avonlea ~ B121

Custom Hand-Stamped Medical ID Bracelets (coming soon!)

Over the Rainbow ~ C160

Waverly ~ D164

Here is our Large Version of the Custom Hand-Stamped Bracelets (Perfect for men)

Here is our brand new "Man Tag" (coming soon!)

We'd love to hear what you think of our newest creations.

Visit us at http://www.laurenshope.com/

Newly Diagnosed? Meet TuDiabetes

If you have recently been diagnosed with Diabetes you may have found yourself spending a significant amount of time researching on the internet.  If you've not yet found http://www.tudiabetes.org/ you really should visit their site soon.  TuDiabetes is a community of individuals who all share one thing in common, diabetes.  It's run by The Diabetes Hands Foundation which is a nonprofit organization that connects with people touched by diabetes. 

On TuDiabetes you will find loads of information for the newly diagnosed in clear and concise forum posts, blog links, articles and vlogs.  There really is something for everyone here and it can be a great tool for family members and friends to help educate themselves on diabetes.

Six Until Me's Kerri Morrone Sparling

Kerri Morrone Sparling was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 6.  She spent most of her life navigating her diabetes alone in the sense that she was the only person she knew with the disease. 

In 2005 Kerri began blogging and writing about her experiences with diabetes and hasn't stopped since. She writes a wonderfully educational diabetes blog called, Six Until Me.  She's been featured in US News and World Report and has been a guest blogger on sites such as dlife and diaTribe. 

You could say that in the diabetes blogging world, Kerri is a rock star.  She is a fierce diabetes advocate and writes about topics ranging from daily life and testing to medical insurance coverage regarding your diabetes. 

Whether you are newly diagnosed or wanting to connect with someone who lives life fully with diabetes, Kerri's website is the place to go. 

Valentine's Styles are Here

Dear Readers,

We have a very important message for you.  Lauren's Hope is pleased to announce that:

Click HERE to visit our website for the full line of Valentine's Day inspired bracelets and necklaces.

In the meantime, here are a sampling of the beautiful love inspired styles we have for you to choose from.  We know you'll find something you like.

sterling silver heart and leather

heart pendant   heart medical ID bracelet   key to my heart medical ID bracelet   heart and leather bracelet

braided leather  double heart/pink leather   princess jasmine   sophie

 

love struck   love letters   infatuation

Click HERE to visit our website for the full line of Valentine's Day inspired bracelets and necklaces.

CPR For Your Bracelet

With the start of a new year, now is the perfect time for you to allow us to apply some CPR (Clean, Polish, Repair) to your medical ID bracelet.

Does your bracelet look dingy?  We can polish it.  Has a wire broken?  We can repair that.  Is it time for your bracelet to be resized?  Send it in.

Visit us here for address and phone information.  If your bracelet is less than 6 months old and is in need of repairs, just mail it to us in a padded envelope and we will restore it at no cost to you.  Any repairs done after 6 months cost only $16.  That's $10 for the repair and $6 for shipping and handling.  You can mail your bracelet to us at:

Lauren's Hope
Attn: Returns
4823 NW Gateway
Riverside, MO 64150

You can reach us at: 1-800-360-8680   Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions!

We want you to wear your bracelet at all times and that means maintenance is a must, so let us work our magic on your medical jewelry.

Merry Christmas

Has this year flown by for anyone else?  We are officially counting down the days until Christmas and have been working like crazy to get everyone's orders out in a flash. 

While that has meant early mornings, late nights and weekend overtime, everyone here is thrilled to know that all our hard work will pay off with the smiling faces come Christmas Eve and Christmas day. 

From all of us here at Lauren's Hope, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Holiday Blessings!

http://www.laurenshope.com/

Allergy Support is There!

If you've recently been diagnosed with a food allergy you're likely to feel a range of emotions. You may find yourself questioning the foods you normally gave little thought to before your diagnosis. Luckily, there are an abundance of allergy support websites designed to help you work through your questions, fears and concerns. 

KidsWithFoodAllergies.org was designed for you to share with your friends, family and community members. Their goal is to help make living with food allergies easier for you and your children. Some of the great resources on KidsWithFoodAllergies.org include: links to online shopping for everything from books and magazines to epinephrine carriers and other helpful gear, allergy-friendly tips, recipes and much more!

Celiac Disease is on the rise these days and one of our Lauren's Hope employees, Cynthia, was recently diagnosed.  Cynthia has had to make some major changes to her diet, like removing anything that contains gluten.  One of the most surprising things she has discovered is that some makeup products, such as lip gloss, contain gluton!  

One of her favorite go-to guides is www.LivingWithout.com magazine.  Their online resource is full of inspirational stories to keep you motivated, the latest medical news and research to keep you informed, and the resources and product information you need to assist you with your special dietary needs.  Here is a link to their fabulous selection of gluton-free recipes:

http://www.livingwithout.com/recipes.html

Big Ideas, Small Tools

At Lauren's Hope we are constantly creating new styles to suit the ever changing fashion needs of our customers.  For every new style we introduce there may be several that don't make the cut.  With well over 350 different bracelet styles on our website we hope you'll find your perfect match.  Here are just a few of our new beauties that feature multiple strands of stunning color and style combinations.  Let us know what you think!

This is one of our new fall bracelets title, Twilight.

We love how the blue Swarovski crystals sparkle and the mix of sterling silver allows it to match with alomost anything.

Can you guess what this bracelet was named? Acorn of course!  We love the copper leaf accents, carved roses and unique wooden beads.  It's been an especially popular bracelet for the trendy high schoolers.

And this stunner is my favorite. In fact, I love it so much that I must have it on my wrist at all times! It's called Free Spirit.

Our designers are working hard on creating new styles that incorporate multiple strands of crystals, natural stones and bronze accents.  We are going to need your help naming the newest editions to the Lauren's Hope collection and will be holding a "Name That Bracelet" contest where the winner will receive a gift certificate they can use on a Lauren's Hope medical ID purchase.  Stay tuned and remember, we always welcome your questions or comments.
Take care!

Giving Thanks and Staying Healthy

The holidays are a well known pitfall for diabetic and weight loss surgery patients. Food is often used to comfort during times of stress and celebration.  If you've ever hosted a holiday meal at your house, you know that keeping the pantry stocked and stomachs full takes lots of time and energy to achieve.

While the task may seem daunting, preparing a tasty and healthy Thanksgiving dinner can be accomplished with style and flair.

Here are a few of our favorite holiday recipes to get you started courtesy of Martha Stewart!

Roasted Turkey

1 Fresh turkey (16 to 18 pounds), giblets removed, turkey brought to room temperature (no more than 2 hours)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

8 Small sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

12 Fresh sage leaves

5 cups Chestnut-and-Sausage Stuffing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425, with rack in lower third. Rinse turkey inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack set in a large roasting pan.

Blend 4 tablespoons butter with 2 teaspoons salt; season with pepper. Loosen skin of turkey at body-cavity end with your fingers; spread mixture under skin all over (reach as far back as possible).

Gently push 3 parsley sprigs under skin on each side of turkey breast (use a table knife to push them as far as possible, keeping leaves flat). Loosen neck skin; slide a parsley sprig on each side of top of breast. Repeat with sage leaves, placing 4 leaves on each side of breast and 2 leaves on each side of top of breast.

Rub turkey with remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Loosely stuff body cavity with 4 3/4 cups stuffing, and neck cavity with 1/4 cup. Tie drumsticks together loosely with kitchen twine. Fold neck skin under body, and secure with toothpicks. Tuck wing tips under wings.

Roast turkey 30 minutes. Baste turkey; reduce oven temperature to 350. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone) registers 180, and stuffing registers 165, 2 to 3 hours. (If skin darkens too quickly during roasting, tent with foil.)

Let turkey rest 20 minutes before carving. Leave juices in roasting pan to make gravy.

Mashed Sweet and Russet Potatoes

4 garlic cloves (do not peel)


1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, pricked with a fork (about 1 pound total)

2 medium russet potatoes, pricked with a fork (about 1 pound total)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus a sprig for garnish

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

1 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in center and lower thirds. Put garlic on a small piece of foil; drizzle with oil. Fold to form a packet, and crimp edges to seal. Place garlic packet and the potatoes on center rack; place a baking sheet on lower rack to catch the juices.

Bake, flipping halfway through, until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 45 minutes. Remove sweet potatoes and garlic from oven; set aside. Continue to bake russet potatoes until very tender, about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven; let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Peel potatoes. Pass through a ricer or a food mill into a medium bowl. Squeeze garlic from skins into bowl with potatoes. Stir in butter, parsley, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir in yogurt, and serve.

Green Bean Salad with Almonds

1/2 cup whole roasted almonds


2 tablespoons tamari

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped roughly (optional)

Directions

Place almonds in a small nonstick saute pan. Lightly toast over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon tamari and stir until the almonds are coated evenly, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cool. Chop almonds roughly.

Prepare a large bowl of ice water. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook beans until crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain the beans and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Remove green beans and drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and remaining 1 tablespoon of tamari. Add the drained green beans and toss to coat. Garnish with roasted almonds and fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately, while warm.

From all of us at Lauren's Hope, we would like to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Welcome to the Lauren's Hope Blog

We are embracing the interwebs and are very excited to connect with all of you on the Lauren's Hope blog.  You can expect to find helpful health information, links to websites we find useful, inside information on our team at headquarters and much, much more!

Do you have a story you'd like to share with us about your personal experiences with diabetes, gastric bypass, allergies etc...? We would absolutely love to hear them!


Please feel free to shoot us an email with any questions, comments or suggestions as to how we can create for you a pleasant blog reading experience. 
For all of our followers, you can expect to participate in great medical ID bracelet giveaways, bracelet naming contests, gift card giveaways and coupons galore.