Dear Friends,
We hope you will join Team WHATEVER, and the Berliner and Collins Families, for the JDRF Walk for the Cure on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at the Avon Boardwalk.
Even on the insulin pump, Lindsay and Kieran must have their glucose tested with a finger prick 8-12 times a day. Every time Kieran and Lindsay eat or drink anything with carbohydrates, they must be given insulin. The Omnipod insulin pump is inserted under the skin in a fairly painful process that must be repeated every three days (or if you are on vacation in the water all day long – every 24 hours!). Thankfully, the pump allows us to administer insulin without a needle. Advancements in the products we use to manage diabetes lessen the burden of T1D; this is made possible by the research supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
This summer, Kieran was on the beach and he suddenly closed his eyes and put his hands in prayer, “I wish that when I am 11-years old that there will be a cure for diabetes” he said. That’s four years away. Impossible, maybe. But scientists are testing early versions of an artificial pancreas that tests blood glucose and automatically administers insulin in response to high blood sugar and food intake. Not yet a cure, but progress… In the meantime, we ask Kieran what he likes “best” about diabetes…he answers, “It makes me different. Special.”
Lindsay shares, “I wish I did not have diabetes, but it has taught me the importance of healthy eating and exercise. There are lots of people who could be part of your family – little kids, older kids, cousins, aunts and grandparents – who have diabetes. I hope they find a cure soon, so I hope you can walk with us. It is not just helping me – you are helping people all over the world.”
To help us in our efforts to find a cure, we ask that you consider making a donation, joining our team, or both! We would love to have you in person or in spirit on the day of the walk.
Why Team WHATEVER? Because we will do whatever it takes to keep Lindsay and Kieran healthy and thriving, and together, we will do whatever it takes to find a cure for T1D.
Love,
Andrew, Jackie, Lindsay and Brooke Berliner
and
Tris, Jennifer, Crosby and Kieran
JDRF Walk for the Cure
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Avon-by-the-Sea Boardwalk
Registration at 9 am / Walk begins at 10 am