Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Medical IDs - do you or don’t you?

While dining with my local Fairfield County Diabetes Dinner group two weeks ago, the discussion rolled around medical ID’s - do we or don’t we wear them.  We all agreed on the importance of wearing a medical ID, but not all of us actually do.  Part of the problem seems to be that many medical IDs are just plain ugly.  But they don’t have to be!!  I told my Fld County Dinner friends to keep an eye on my blog for an upcoming give-away - and here it is!!

Jenna White, of Lauren’s Hope Medical ID Bracelets recently emailed me and offered to provide a bracelet to give away to one lucky blog reader.  After hearing the story behind the company and seeing how pretty these ID bracelets are, I could hardly refuse!

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Here is some information about Lauren’s Hope, directly from Jenna:
When you or your child was diagnosed with diabetes, your life instantly changed forever. As your doctor explained medical procedures, medications, and other lifestyle adjustments, you may have been overwhelmed thinking about all the things that would have to change. One thing that your condition shouldn't affect, though, is your individualized sense of style! In the past, medical bracelets have been big, bulky, impersonal and unattractive - which meant a lot of people would opt not to wear them.

That’s why Lauren’s Hope was founded - to create medical alert jewelry that people would actually want to wear. This inspiration for the business came from a family friend of the company’s founders. As a teenager with diabetes, Lauren refused to wear medical ID jewelry because it was “ugly” and could “draw attention” to her illness. Lauren’s mother asked for a fashionable medical ID to keep her daughter safe, and the rest is history.

Today, Lauren’s Hope is still dedicated to making beautiful medical ID jewelry for people of all ages, with any condition, and with any sense of style! Whether you have a style-savvy teenager with a penicillin allergy or you feel self-conscious wearing your own chunky diabetes ID to a dinner party, we can help you find a fashionable alternative that will keep you safe. People with diabetes, severe food, drug, and insect allergies, heart conditions, asthma, autism, a visual or hearing impairment, epilepsy, or any chronic illness need to wear medical alert jewelry with that information engraved, as well as people who are on certain medications or are gastric bypass, lap band or organ transplant patients.

In the event of an emergency, your medical ID will do more than just make you look good - it can also save your life! Your medical ID bracelet should be custom engraved with a few important details so medical personnel will know how to treat you best. They will need to know your name, your medical condition(s), any allergies and important medications that you have, and emergency contact numbers.

The winner of this contest will be able to chose from one of five bracelet choices.  The prize includes one complete bracelet, including the tag, custom engraving and shipping.  Your bracelet choices are:
B90 MoodBeadThis is the Mood Bead medical ID bracelet. Don't like to keep your emotions all bottled up? Set them free with this psychedelic, color-changing mood bracelet! Featuring color changing mood beads surrounded by Swarovski crystals and sterling silver Bali beads, this medical ID bracelet will take you all the way back to the 70s. Attach your custom engraved medical ID tag to complete the look and show the world what you're feeling. The lobster clasps attach to your custom engraved medical ID tag. Slap on your medical ID bracelet and see what kind of mood you are in today!
C232 Fiona with TagThis is the Fiona medical ID bracelet. Everyone loves stylish simplicity - especially when it comes to medical ID jewelry. If you want a style that is elegant-yet-modest, you can't go wrong with this triple strand medical ID bracelet. This sophisticated design features black tubing and gray Swarovski crystals to create a look that is subtly stunning. Simply attach your custom engraved medical ID tag with our signature lobster clasps for instant, trouble-free elegance.
C-7MulticrystalpastelThis is the Multi Crystal medical ID bracelet. A simple yet fun combination of Swarovski crystals in pastel tones, sterling silver, and Bali beads makes this medical alert bracelet a must-have for any jewelry lover! This bracelet has it all: a little sparkle, a little shine, a lot of color and, as always, our signature lobster clasps that make it oh so easy to attach your custom engraved medical ID tag. If you need to wear a medical bracelet, you can still be fashionable!
A148 Into The Dark with tagThis is the Into the Dark medical ID bracelet. Are you a fan of glow in the dark beads? This unique medical ID bracelet features 2 lime green glowing beads. The sides of the bracelet feature black tubing and you can attach this medical ID bracelet to your custom engraved medical ID tag with lobster clasps.
A194 Undercover Stainless Steel Medical ID BraceletThis is the Undercover medical ID bracelet. If you are confident and strong, with a bit of an edge, this stainless steel medical ID bracelet is perfect for you. The unique crisscross pattern and durable stainless steel are things you might not want to keep under wraps! This stylish bracelet can hold up to 3 lines of your important medical information. Combine safety with style when you snap on this medical ID bracelet.

If you’d like to enter the drawing, simply leave a comment on this post telling me if you wear medical ID  a) always, b) often, c) on occasion or d) never.  The winner will be drawn on Friday morning!  Good luck!

For more about Lauren’s Hope, check out their Facebook page, Twitter account and blog!

45 comments:

  1. I am d) never.

    I actually own one but just don't use it - it is ugly! I have one of the medical alert ones with the number to call to get all my info. Although I have a lifetime membership, I need to pay to update the info and don't want to bother if I am not going to wear it. Did I say that it is ugly!

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  2. Is it bad that I'm giving away a competitor's medical IDs right now, and I don't even wear an ID myself? :)

    I wore them as a child, but haven't worn one in probably a decade. Whoops.

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  3. Never! (I'm bad, I know) But, if I had that Mood Bead bracelet, I'd definitely be more likely to wear one!

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  4. hey Karen,
    I wanted to enter this contest please. I wear a medical ID bracelet everyday, however it is the old school kind that is sterling silver. I would definitely love to get a new one that is more stylish and feminine.
    Thanks for hosting this contest.

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  5. Hi Karen,

    Great giveaway! I d) never wear a medical ID bracelet but I know I should and these bracelets are really cool!

    Tristan

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  6. Until this year, I never wore a medical ID bracelet. I knew I needed one, I just didn't think it was terribly important. Then, after a few bad low blood sugars and a severe allergic reaction in Biology lab, I realized how dangerous it was to be in college with no medical identification. In high school, everyone knew me and someone in the immediate vicinity could rattle off half of my medical history by heart. But on a campus of a few thousand, I can (and will) literally get lost in the crowd. It's for this reason that I ALWAYS wear it, and I never take it off unless I'm switching bracelets!

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  7. I love my Lauren's Hope bracelet! I wear it everyday! I am hoping to get a couple more for my mom and little sister eventually. I think it is important that a diabetic some sort of med id. Now that they are so stylish why not wear one?

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  8. Elise only wears her bracelet on occasion. When she was in school, it was more like always, but it's been harder to enforce over the summer.

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  9. hi Karen
    i never, ever wear my medical ID bracelet. i have had the same one for 34 years and it is UGLY!! it sits in my jewellery box totally hidden. i have been considering getting a tattoo on my wrist, but after seeing the Lauren's Hope bracelets, i would love to win one of these gorgeous, totally wearable ID bracelets!!

    kim

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  10. I have to admit that we just won one for my oldest J. But my son B lost his dog tag about 6 months ago and is with out one at the moment. The glow in the dark is just his style!

    My youngest has never been without one since diagnosis. :)

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  11. I never have had a medical alert - being diet/exercise/metformin T2, I never felt the need. But now that I'm living alone...

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  12. Thanks for the interesting post! I always wear my ID: I am an insulin pump user.

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  13. I have a bracelet from a company in the UK similar to the ones above which I wear 24/7, parents bought it for me as a Christmas pressie :)

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  14. I never wear one...but probably should. WHile not diabetic, I have other issues that emergency medicals would need to know! THey are so cute, I have never seen such nice ones

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  15. What a great give-away. I have ordered from Lauren's Hope before and love the company! I didn't used to wear an ID bracelet, then one day I decided I was being lazy about it and that it was too important to not wear one. Plus, I get lots of questions about it and it gives me a chance to educate folks about diabetes!

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  16. my kid wears her medical ID a) always. except for this week, when she's away at d-camp. :)

    those bracelets are cool!

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  17. Ohh I love the undercover one!

    J does but he wears shoe tags he hates bracelts except for silicone. I think cause they don't hold up to his toughness. Lol

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  18. We have purchased from Lauren’s Hope before. Great products and service.

    Anything I can do to make my daughter's diabetes equipment/supplies a little prettier I will do. We don't normally wear a bracelet or necklace, but when we do we use the ones we purchased through Lauren’s Hope. I would have to pick C.

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  19. My son wears a medical id necklace and he wears it EVERYDAY, he knows the rule is it goes on when he gets dressed in the a.m. and he can hant it up on the hook in his room before bath at night!

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  20. I make my daughter wear one everyday and everywhere we go. You never know when something could happen and we couldn't tell them she's a Diabetic.

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  21. I used to wear one all the time, but then one of the jump rings broke and I simply haven't replaced it...and it's been about 2 years since that happened! oops. I am in love with the Undercover Medical ID bracelet--it's super cool and I would totally wear it.

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  22. My daughter wears a medical ID bracelet almost everyday. We love Lauren's Hope!! Thanks for hosting this giveaway!

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  23. For most of my life with diabetes, I never wore a med ID. Recently (the past year, maybe...if that), I started wearing one and I don't take it off. Ever. EVER. It's a blue rubber bracelet that simply says "Diabetic" on it. Nothing special, but it works.

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  24. I would love one of these! They are so very cute & every once in a while I wear one but not as often as I should!! I never could find one that were as cute as these(: I just own a plain necklace one...this would make wearing one much more fashionable and better. HOPE I WIN (:

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  25. I wear mine. It's a nice one so that makes it easier. It's also really hard for me to take off so therefore, it stays on.

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  26. Always have, every day for the last 28 years!

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  27. d) 30 years and I never caught on with wearing it. Only when I was young maybe 9-12 years old. These bracelets are really cute.

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  28. Bean wears hers 99% of the time. Every once in a while she wants a 'break' but it's never for long because she loves her Lauren's Hope bracelet! Would love another choice for her!! :)

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  29. I suppose my answer was C, on occasion, but then I threw my dogtag medical necklace into the washing machine by mistake and the chain snapped soooo my answer is now D. I keep meaning to replace it! :D

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  30. I do both B and C. I have learned, especially since becoming pregnant I can't feel any lows or highs and I NEED someone to help me if I cannot tell what i'm doing. Therefore, when I am alone, driving long distances (even with other people) or after a day of bad lows, i wear one. I think I have about 5 or 6 now, all completely different, and actually one from Lauren's Hope, i think from 07. My problem is not always that they are ugly or whatever, it's that I'm not a watch or bracelet wearer. I DEFINITELY don't want to wear a necklace, but wish they were more comfortable. I also, keep them in crazy places, one in each car, one in my purse, one by the front door and one that floats where ever i take it off.

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  31. What a great idea! I have a Medical ID bracelet but... yep... it's pretty ugly. So ugly my endo actually offered to buy me a new one. lol. My favorites are the first and second one. At least a nice medical ID bracelet would make me feel like a pretty Diabetic! :P

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  32. Justin wears it when hes not with me or when he goes somewhere that he will be running around.

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  33. The answer is always C. i occasionally wear mine, but it is too big, which is why I don't wear it all the time

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  34. ALWAYS for me! When diagnosed at age 11, I used to break it/lose parts because it got me a break for a few days until my dad fixed it. Don't know what made me change but pretty quickly started wearing literally 24/7, on my 2nd one in past 20yrs. Plain silver MedicAlert for me, I consider it innocuous & don't even think about it. Only time took off in last 10yrs was my wedding & said right before to wedding party- "someone will remember I'm diabetic right?" Figured couldn't get too lost that night. In general, I live life and don't let diabetes stop me so figure good to have a safety net!

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  35. For me D) never. I use to have a dogtag one but the chain broke and I lost it and never ended up getting another. I really should be wearing one (as we all should) but sometimes perfection is a long and tedious road and I've got a long way to go.

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  36. D) Never

    ...even though I know I should! Like you said, I've never found one pretty enough. My dad bought me one when I was younger, but wearing the 'dog tag' made me feel exactly that - like a dog. A diabetic dog.

    Saying that, I'm definitely going to look into purchasing a Med ID from Lauren's Hope. They're lovely!

    Thanks for making me aware of them, Karen :)

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  37. OHHH Joe would love the "glow-y" one...AND thank you for reminding me to replace Joe's band for his Road ID. It broke while he was playing and he needs ID before heading back to school.

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  38. I never wear one but I know I should. I've bought a few over the years (different charms, different chains) to try to make myself wear them but I never do because they are still kinda klunky and ugly. Also, there are other necklaces I own that I'd MUCH rather wear . . And I'm not a bracelet person.

    I'm also a skeptic. Do people really look for them? Aren't I usually with people who know I have diabetes? Wouldn't my insulin pump give it away? Or maybe I just like making up reasons not to wear it? ;-)

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  39. Always - I wear a necklace. And I just replaced the pendant portion with a pendant from Lauren's Hope. My original was from a gold heart shaped pendant - emblem on front, engraved on back - but it would tarnish within hours of being polished. That company replaced the first one, but the replacement tarnished worse, and they would not replace it a second time. I ordered the Tan Fancy Medical ID Heart Pendant (ST47). I have a sensitive neck so I transferred the pendant to my gold chain. I would have loved to have been able to get this very pendant in gold, but since the chain is long enough that the pendant is usually inside my top it doesn't bother me that it is a silver pendant on a gold chain. I also LOVE that the opening for the chain is cut out int he shape of a heart. I really do love my new pendant from Lauren's Hope!

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  40. My daughter wears her some times. but she thinks they are ugly. What a great website. Thanks for sharing.

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  41. ALWAYS (since diagnosis).
    I have a stainless steel MedicAlert one that has a clasp I can't open by myself. It's not pretty, but it's always there. What I don't like about it is how it clanks against a watch (which I pretty much quit wearing around Halloween). It's so blah (the red on the insignia wore off fast) and usual for me that I can ignore it easily, but that makes me worry the Paremedics would miss it if I needed it.
    I'd love to have some bling that also carried my critical info for more special occasions.

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  42. a) always

    Never with the one I got at diagnosis because it was an ugly dog tag necklace. Now I have a pretty one (I think it might even be from Lauren's Hope) that is just like another accessory.

    I asked for it for Christmas a few years ago and only take it off when I need to switch to my RoadID.

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  43. B) I was wearing my necklace for almost a year straight, then I took it off in June & haven't put in on since - Thanks for the reminder.
    I LOVE bracelets - THEY. ARE. GORGEOUS.

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  44. A. I always wear a medical ID bracelet. :)

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  45. B) Often. And all my medical IDs are from lauren's hope! All the bracelets I have from them are great. A personal favourite is the halloween themed yellow & orange one :)

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