VITAL STATS
Name? Colleen Clarke
How old are you? 36
Where do you live? Melbourne, Australia
What do you do?
My job is Office Administrator but my fun stuff is mostly done out of work; piano; swing dancing; heaps of patchwork, cross-stitch, ribbon embroidery etc ... sunshine's a bonus
Anything to declare? Its soooooo good when your cup is 3/4 full, especially if it's been half empty for a while!

MORE ABOUT YOU
A few words about yourself? I like everyone to be happy - I stress when the boat gets rocked!!!
Where were you born and raised? Melbourne, Australia.
Favourite piece of music? No. 1 favourite ever is Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, it just takes you round the world and back again, close seconds are Bach's Goldberg variations and anything by Glenn Miller, of course loving to dance, I like anything with a good beat and melody -Kylie's right up there
What makes you laugh? Life is just so funny, there's humour all around us and I still get kicks out of Seinfeld.
Your greatest achievement?
1. Finding my husband.
2. Learning to live with infertility and still be happy and have fun
Sources of strength and inspiration? Strength mostly from Steve (hubbie), and friends and family, inspiration comes from so many places ....
Goals for the next year? I don't tend to set myself goals, my ongoing aim is to stay happy and have fun, all the rest is a bonus
Greatest weakness? Retail therapy (Steve says it should be my greatest strength!)
If you could have three wishes, what would they be?
Wish 1 - have a child
Wish 2 - then another child
Wish 3 - (oooh a tough one!!) that every person finds their wings at some stage in their lives ....

ME AND THE BIG D
How long ago were you diagnosed with Diabetes? June 1999
What does a hypo feel like? Morning -fuzzy wuzzy; afternoon, weak and yuk; overnight, heart thumping with lots of food; public hypos -add much panic!
Best/worst/most embarrassing hypo? An increase in my thyroid medication resulted in a faster metabolism, in two days I had two hypos -convulsing arms and legs, snorting, scaring the **** out of Steve and myself, happily now a distant memory.
Does everyone around you know about your D? pretty much
Has Diabetes changed anything about you? I am SO educated about food now - it's become so much more than mere gratification for my taste buds
What do you say/do to the food police? Not much, don't encounter it often, though I had to laugh when a nearest and dearest who knows she has emphysema (and can't/won't give up smoking) said "should you be eating that?" when I was first diagnosed - she truly was thinking of my wellbeing!
Are you a Person with Diabetes or a Diabetic? Both - not really fussed -essentially I'm me
Best diabetes related rort (faked hypos etc)? When I'm feeling lazy it's "honey, can you get me ......" as I lounge on the couch
Public injections - what s the etiquette? Whenever, wherever.

Any wisdom to share? I truly believe the journey matters just as much as the goal - there's always something out there to take home and think about, learn or enjoy. It's a case of how one sees, interprets and processes life experiences. And never be afraid to ask for help -the hardest part is the first step - asking, the rest just gets easier.