By Rebekah Bill-Westall, Denver

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk to Cure Diabetes is a fundraiser to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Last year, nearly $98 million was raised through the Walk To Cure Diabetes throughout the country. In Denver, the walk will be held on Sept. 16 at Six Flags Elitch Gardens. I'm a local resident of Denver and I walk because my daughter Olivia was diagnosed at 3.

A little over a year ago in July, my husband David and I were getting used to our busy days with two daughters under the age of 3: Olivia (2) and Alexandra (7 months). The heat had just hit 100 degrees for the entire week and we noticed that Olivia had started drinking a lot more than normal. We blamed the heat but started to get concerned when she had a few accidents after having been potty trained for a few months. The morning of July 12 I noticed Olivia panting very slightly. She went to daycarethree days a week and I attributed the panting to her excitement about "Water Day" at her school. I asked her teachers to keep an eye on her that morning and I called our pediatrician on my way to work. The nurse returned my call quickly and asked me to bring Olivia in immediately.

I will never forget my sense of panic while driving Olivia to the doctor's office. After poking her finger, the nurse told me that Olivia's blood sugar was at a dangerously high level and we were immediately admitted to Children's Hospital. We spent a few days in intensive care trying to slowly get Olivia's blood sugar level back within a normal range. The next few weeks were a blur of training for David and I and a high level of stress as we tried to explain to Olivia what was going on when we didn't really know ourselves.

The last year has involved a lot of ups and downs figuring out how to make diabetes fit into our active lives. Juvenile diabetes is a chronic disease that means Olivia will be insulin dependent for the rest of her life ( unless we find a cure!). Since she is so young, we have to constantly check her blood sugar through the day and night - usually 10 to 12 times a day. She also needs 5 to 8 insulin shots a day. In her first year alone, Olivia has had over 4,000 finger pricks and 1,800 shots. We have been amazed as to how many things affect her blood sugar like colds, excitement and growth. Some days we feel like we are a parent, doctor, statistician, nutritionist and social worker all rolled up in one!

The constant nature of this disease and Olivia's young age have caused a lot of frustration and stress over this last year, but all of us, especially Olivia, have adapted well to our new way of life. She is an amazingly mature, creative and fun little girl. She rarely complains about the constant monitoring and handles it incredibly well for a 3 year old (sorry - 3 and year old as she would say). Her world is really starting to expand and she is interested in everything. She has been "swimming" since she was 5 months old but has started taking strokes and diving in from the side this summer. She loved her first swim lessons, skied quite a bit this past winter and has started gymnastics and ballet classes at her pre-school. She has started making up her own stories and songs and loves sounding out words and playing on the computer.

We were introduced to the JDRF by the folks at the Barbara Davis Center and last year we did our first "Walk to Cure Diabetes" just a few months after Olivia was diagnosed. Through the generosity of friends, family and co-workers we raised over $8,000 for the JDRF in just three weeks. This year we are getting our act together early and are shooting for a goal of $12,000. The JDRF is an incredibly effective organization and a key part in not only finding a cure but improving the daily lives of kids like Olivia who will be dealing with this disease their entire lives.

If you would like to help raise awareness of Type1 diabetes or donate to the walk please join the thousands of us who will walk on Sept. 16 or go online to www.jdrf.org and support a family team like ours - Team Spaghetti Os!