Sad day....

Let me first start off by saying how great we have it at our school in regards to Cale's diabetes care.  Everyone is so helpful, concerned and cooperative.  He has never been denied anything!!  It is a dream.  The teachers, principal, secretary and most of all our nurse!!  Salena has been an unbelievable godsend!!! 

She came on staff the same time that Cale was diagnosed almost 3 years ago.  At first, she was only at our school part time, but she was ALWAYS there for Cale at lunch.  She made that her priority.  Then came the glorious day that we found out she was to be at our school full time....insert happy dance here!!!  No one could ask for a better person to take care of their child.  Salena even went above and beyond by taking time away from her family at night to attend the pump training with us!!  She has attended every field trip that she was needed to attend.  She has let me give her phone number to a baby sitter when we were able to spend an evening in downtown Chicago (70 miles away), just in case!!  She treats Cale like he is her own son.  She has become such a great friend!!

Today, I find out that she is not returning to our school next year!!  Can I just say...I cried.  I thought I had one more year with her taking care of Cale before he went to the Upper Elementary School in 5th grade.  No such luck!!!  I often kidded her saying that she had to go to 5th grade with him. 

I completely understand why she is leaving.  She and her husband own their own business and their medical insurance premiums are killing them!!!  The very sad thing about this is that she is ONE MINUTE shy of her time she works at the school to be eligible for the district's insurance.  ONE STINKING MINUTE!!!!  She has fought this for 2 years and doesn't feel she can fight anymore considering the amount of staff that has already been cut (that is totally another post).  She has gotten a job at an immediate care center nearby and has already asked to be kept on as a substitute at our school for anything, lunch room, nurse, janitor...but she cannot sub for our secretary, that's mine!!!  Plus, should we need to go to an immediate care, guess where we will be going?

She will be missed at the school so much!  I can only hope that we get another nurse next year that is half as good as Salena!    SNIFF!!!!!