Sunday, April 7, 2013

2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes


April 8, 2013

2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes

I’m a Mommy first, Nurse second, but sometimes I do combine the two roles. I’m a fix-it-and-move-on kind of gal.  Sore throat?  Tylenol and Water.  Fever?  Advil and Rest.  Scrapes and bruises?  Band-aid and Hugs & Kisses.  Fix it and move on.  It’s just how I roll.

When my sons were diagnosed with Type One Diabetes in 2012, there was no fix for me to apply so I could move on.  No amount of ice packs, Band-Aids, hugs or kisses will fix their disease.  I can’t move on from it. I can learn all about the disease and new treatments.  I can experiment with insulin dosages and particular meals to see which combo will cover them the best…today (it’ll all change tomorrow).  I can stay up late and get up all night long to manage blood sugars (high or low). I can worry until I have bleeding ulcers.  I can do a lot of things, but unfortunately, NONE of them will take this craptastic disease away from my innocent boys.

After diagnosis, I was hoping to find a 5K that would benefit JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) since running 5Ks (albeit slowly and poorly) is my “thing” to do with my daughter.  It was “something” I could do. Instead, I found out information about JDRF’s annual Walk to Cure Diabetes.  Good enough!  I formed our 2012 family team, Aiden’s Army, because at the time, only Aiden was diagnosed.  I had T-shirts made, and I forged into the unfamiliar territory of fundraising. On top of being a fix-it-and-move-on chica, I’m also very much a stand-on-my-own-two-feet kind of gal, too, so asking anyone for money is difficult.  On the day I was to pick up the T-shirts from the screen printer, Asa was diagnosed, so it was too late to change the team name or shirt. Better luck next year.  I asked tons of questions of the local JDRF staff; I’m sure they were tired of me.  I asked tons of questions and got plenty of ideas from my Type One Family group.  I pestered my family, friends and co-workers ad nauseum. All said and done, Aiden’s Army raised over $2000 for JDRF.



You see, I can’t fix my boys’ disease.  I can’t take it away.  But, what I can do is work my hardest to manage it to the best of my ability.  (Manage, not control).  And, I can ‘fix it’ by supporting the efforts of doctors, scientists and researchers who are working towards a cure.  I can support this organization whose sole purpose is to find a cure for Type One Diabetes.

So, again, in 2013, we have a revamped Family Team to support JDRF.  This year, to honor both of my sons, we’re The A2 Team (A-squared).  We welcome any walkers to join our team.  We welcome any business to sponsor us.  We welcome any donations to our team and our cause.  And, maybe with the combined efforts of JDRF and thousands of families across the United States, we can see a cure for my sons before this disease kills me!

Our Dream:  No more shots.  No more finger pricks.  No more extrinsic insulin.  No more insulin pumps. No more $$$s going out the door every month just to keep by babies alive. No more bad guessing on carbs that wreaks havoc on their blood glucoses.  No more worrying every time they sleep late.  No more wrinkles, ulcers and gray hairs resulting from a deep primal worry for your children.  No more…

Support our team today.

www2.jdrf.org/goto/FuseA2Team

Rhonda

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