By Melissa Stone Road, Lakewood, CO

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. I'm a local resident of Lakewood and I walk because my Sophie is 6 years old and has Type 1 diabetes. When you say that to most people, they say "Oh, my so and so has diabetes, he manages it with a special diet and takes some pills and he's ok." What they don't understand is that Type 1 is the awful sister to Type 2 diabetes, which is more common among older people. Type 1's are completely insulin dependent, if my daughter went without an artificial supply of insulin from an outside source for about 2 days, she would die. The cruelest part about this disease is that it usually strikes children, as it did Sophie when she was two years old. While racing to the hospital, my daughter in and out of consciousness, teetering on the brink of a diabetic coma, the EMT's in an attempt to make me feel better said " You know she is little enough to not remember a time when she didn't have diabetes." Through the last four years of Sophie's diabetes life, we have had a chance to begin to heal from this initial shock and trauma of diagnosis. Sophie was diagnosed on October 10 th, 2002. This date is very tender to me. In our family we call it her Diabetes Birthday, when we celebrate her life, how it was almost taken, and how strong she is that she survived. A typical day for her involves 6-8 finger sticks to check blood sugar, and she is constantly tethered to a small device called an insulin pump which acts as an external pancreas which delivers doses to her through a small needle that lies just under the skin. This needs to be changed every 2-3 days. Everyone in Sophie's life must be able to check her blood, interpret the results, and deliver insulin doses based on food intake and exercise. This makes normal milestones such as sleepovers and play dates especially difficult.

In 2003 we heard about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the Walk to Cure Diabetes. The JDRF is a non-profit organization; 80% of their profits go to research for a cure. I was ecstatic to learn that there were other families like us, and the work that the JDRF does is invaluable to all families with Type 1. The JDRF's annual walk raised nearly $98 million last year to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Not only do they give us something to work towards, they provide hope that someday it will be hard for Sophie to remember a time when diabetes dictated every aspect of her life. 2003 is also the year our family formed Team Red Earth, which is not only Sophie's last name it is also her walk team. Team Red Earth raises money each year to donate to JDRF to help find a cure. This year we are selling the YUM brand coupon booklet for $5 that includes $150 dollars worth of coupons at restaurants such as KFC, Long John Silvers, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. We also sell Team Red Earth T-shirts and JDRF bracelets. Visit us on www.teamredearth.com or donate to Team Red Earth at www.jdrf.org and click on walk central and put in Team Red Earth. Sophie and I thank everyone in our lives that have supported us and Team Red Earth, and we hope a cure is on the horizon!

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 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