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'Living in Progress' Founder and Type 1 Diabetic Ginger Vieira Teams Up With ParentingDiabeticKids.com to Support Parents of Children and Teens Living With Type 1 Diabetes

ALEXANDRIA, Va. and BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginger Vieira of Alexandria, V.A., founder of "Living in Progress" (www.living-in-progress.com), has joined Parenting Diabetic Kids (www.parentingdiabetickids.com), a support organization founded by Jeff and Natalie Kolok - the parents of two children with Type 1 diabetes.

Vieira - Type 1 diabetic, record-holding powerlifter and cognitive health coach - joins an already impressive team of diabetes experts and parents, including Gary Scheiner, M.S. and C.D.E., Alicia McAuliffe-Fogarty, Ph.D., Lisa Bolduc-Bissell R.N. and C.D.E., Laura Plunkett, and Deana Walker.

"Jeff and Natalie know first-hand how inexplicably overwhelming diabetes can be," said Vieira, "including how alone you can feel whether you're living with diabetes yourself or raising children who live with the disease. ParentingDiabeticKids.com is their way of supporting parents and children who live with Type 1 diabetes 24/7. I'm excited to join their team."

The Kolok's founded their organization in 2008 after adopting a six year old boy, Nick, with Type 1 diabetes, and welcoming him into their home with Naomi and Johanna, who also lives with Type 1 diabetes. Nick and Johanna are now 9 years old, and Johanna is a competitive gymnast.

"The reason we started Parenting Diabetic Kids was simple: we wanted to feel supported," explains Natalie Kolok. "We thought maybe we had something to offer, and others could join in and we could figure it out together. When Johanna was diagnosed at four years old, it took us a year [to adjust]. It was so emotional for us. Then, we felt led to open our home to children with diabetes. After adopting Nick, the organization seemed natural."

From there, the website was born, and the Kolok's having been providing a community for parents of diabetic children through open online forums, newsworthy articles, supportive blogs, and their team of experts, which now includes Ginger Vieira.

Vieira, 24 years old, has lived with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease for over 11 years. She holds 14 national, drug-tested records in powerlifting, the Vermont state female bench press record, and is a cognitive health and chronic illness coach. She recently relocated from Vermont to the Washington D.C. area.

"Ginger adds a youthfulness to our team," explains Natalie, "but she also has so much experience in balancing exercise around diabetes, as well as the psychology of how diabetes impacts people's daily lives."

Vieira's practice, "Living in Progress," is a unique form of support dedicated to helping people with chronic illnesses and other health challenges find balance and happiness in their life. Vieira works with her clients on overcoming other challenges such as emotional overeating, rebuilding self-esteem, improving nutrition habits and making exercise a regular part of life her clients can then maintain on their own. She is expanding her focus to work more closely with parents who manage their children's diabetes around-the-clock, often with little relief or support.

"The psychological focus is commonly often on the child; on their acceptance of the disease, on how they think and feel about the responsibilities of living with it for the rest of their life," explains Vieira, "but the parents need an opportunity to step back and acknowledge how it all impacts them, too, and how heartbreaking it is on a daily basis to watch their own son or daughter live and battle with Type 1 diabetes."

Whether the challenges presented by living with diabetes appear to be large or small, ParentingDiabeticKids.com and Ginger Vieira are prepared to support families and individuals facing this disease wherever they may live.

Coaching can be done face-to-face or over the phone, as Vieira works effectively with people across the country. Individuals interested in Vieira's approach can follow her via her blog (www.living-in-progress.com), Twitter (@gingervieira) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/gingervieira). ParentingDiabeticKids.com can also be found on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/ParentingDiabeticKidscom/169254573122).

    CONTACT: Ginger Vieira
    www.living-in-progress.com
    PHONE: 303-947-7212
    EMAIL: ginger@living-in-progress.com

SOURCE Living in Progress