By Lia Cole & Karin Wessbecker
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's (JDRF) 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 Saturday, September 16 at Six Flags Elitch Gardens. We are local residents of Parker and we walk because both our daughter and our son (whom are 1 st cousins) were both diagnosed in 2002 at the age of 5.
Megan and Blake were born 2 months apart in 1997 and from the beginning of their very young lives they have shared an extremely deep and close bond. Little did anyone know just how special the union between these two could and would become. In 2002 at the tender age of 5, they were both diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes only 4 months apart from one another, forever deepening that bond. Megan was taken to the doctor for a strange high fever and what was thought to be a bladder infection. Blake was taken in days after Halloween after he began having many different classic diabetic symptoms. Megan was diagnosed July 15, Blake November 2. It is weird how these dates are embedded in our brains, like a birthday, anniversary, or any other major event in your life. It is the day that our lives changed forever.
It really rocks your world when you find out that your child has a life threatening illness. We literally went from one day blissfully not knowing that this lied ahead to the next day coming home from the doctors with the expectations of caring for you child. Diabetes and everything that goes with it was unknown to us and it was scary. From that day forward, our lives have been consumed with needles, insulin, doctor appointments, measuring food, carbohydrate counting, occasional hospital emergency room visits, blood draws, etc. As parents we just "deal" with the day to day regimens putting out of our minds what we are actually doing not to mention the side effects that Blake and Megan could possibly develop. However, the children have no say in everything that happens to them. This includes the diagnosis, treatments and management. Type 1 diabetes cannot be avoided and is a 24x7 never a day off sentence. Plain and simple, Megan and Blake are true heroes.
We got involved with the JDRF right after their diagnoses as a source of support and information. We have participated in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes each year since 2002. Our team name is "The Cousin Crusade." Each year our involvement and our pledges have grown. In 2005, our team comprised of 34 walkers and we rose over $6000. Truly, being a part of this walk is a highlight for everyone each and every year. The kids have a wonderful time and we all join together to make a difference, literally one step at a time. We do it for all the children battling this disease but most importantly it is Megan and Blake's day to shine and we do it for them. We love them, we are proud of them, they are so courageous, and WE WANT A CURE FOR JUVENILE DIABETES!
The Denver Walk is presented by the YUM Brand restaurants, A&W, KFC, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, as well as Pepsi and Six Flags Elitch Gardens. Mike Trisler, the 2006 Corporate Chair for the JDRF Walk, and the Regional Director for Harman Management/KFC, is leading the way to raise $1,000,000 to find a cure for diabetes. Mike, Harman Management/KFC and all of the other YUM Brands have put together a coupon booklet containing $150 worth of free items at all of the YUM Brand restaurants in Colorado. This amazing booklet sells for just $5, and 100% of the profits go directly to JDRF. JDRF Family Teams and School Teams will utilize this book to raise money to find a cure.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. JDRF gives more money directly to diabetes research than any other private agency in the world. Over 80% of the money raised by JDRF goes straight to research and education about research. In each of the last few years, JDRF has received high praise from a number of independent sources on charitable giving, including The Wall Street Journal, SmartMoney Magazine, Forbes Magazine, The Nonprofit Times, the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator.
If you are interested in purchasing the YUM Brands coupon booklet, visit any of your local participating A&W, KFC, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut or Taco Bell restaurants. If you are interested in forming a Family Team, School Team or Corporate Team for the Walk to Cure Diabetes, please contact Todd Fahnestock, Special Events Manager, at 303-779-0525 or at
tfahnestock@jdrf.org. To register for the Walk to Cure Diabetes, go to:
http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=walk.walk&eventID=780&chapterid=4072
See you September 16 th,