JDRF Walk

Dear Family and Friends,
It’s that time of the year again! Our family is gearing up for our fourth year of participation in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s “Walk to Cure Diabetes”. As many of you know, our daughter, Jessi, was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes (Type I insulin-dependent) in September 2002, just before her 1st birthday. Since that time, we have prayed a lot and vowed to not let this disease control our lives. Participating in this event is a positive way for us to work together to win the battle against diabetes.
When the doctor told us our daughter had diabetes, it was devastating because we knew that this disease could cause serious long-term complications; such as a stroke by the age of seventeen or go blind by the age of twenty-five. We did not anticipate how significantly this disease would change her every day life. Life with diabetes means a constant balance between diet, exercise and insulin. This regimen makes everyday childhood events such as going to kindergarten ,dance classes, and going to birthday parties a true adventure! We constantly struggle to keep Jessi’s blood sugar under control. Sometimes it gets so low that she is at risk of seizures and brain damage. Other times, it is very high and can lead to serious long-term complications such as kidney failure, blindness, and heart disease. The worst part is knowing that she will have diabetes the rest of her life unless a cure can be found.
As parents, our greatest challenge has been watching how this has changed our daugher’s life and knowing how little there is we can do to fix this for her. However, we pray every single day for a cure This is were we need your help. We invite you to join our family team, known as “Team Jessi” team. Or, if you are unable to participate in the walk, you can help by sending a tax-deductible contribution. Last year our team raised over $2,000. This year, our goal is $4,000. Thank you so much for your generosity.

Follow this link to make an online donation:
http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=86388631