A little over a year ago, I met Erin. Against all logic and and despite my wacky personality, we began dating shortly thereafter. She has been a wonderful presence in my life, someone who took care of me in my darkest hours, even though it was very hard. Erin has been there for me, and continues to be every day in many different ways. I thank God for her every single time I pray, for this person who loves me so incredibly much. I too love her deeply, and we are planning our life together with excitement and optimism. These plans though, always have to include the what ifs that the future may hold, the what ifs that are common with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes.
I could try to convey what Juvenile Diabetes is like for someone, but instead I will let Erin express it in her own words.
Dear Friends and FamilyI have sat at Erin's bedside, seeing her suffer from the effects of Type 1 Diabetes. Every time her blood sugar goes high or low too far, I worry about not only the present, but what that will do to her body in the long term. The complications that may arise, would slowly strip away Erin's quality of life, and our ability to enjoy it together. I am scared of a future that includes all that love her having to watch this horrible disease take its toll, until nothing is left to strip away but her very life. Erin, like many could suffer from blindness, robbing her of the ability to see the family we want to have. The amputation of lower limbs would rob Erin of a chance to chase children or grandchildren around the house, while kidney failure would leave us both waiting for her transplant, hoping that it arrives in time.
I need your help.
As you know, I was diagnosed with type 1, or juvenile, diabetes when I was just five years old. For a little kid, diabetes is awful because it means pricking your finger and taking shots several times a day. It means you can't eat what the other kids eat, and the emotional and physical demands of high and low blood sugar can ruin your day. It means getting the flu almost inevitably puts you in the ER on IV fluids and intravenous insulin.
Yup, being a kid with diabetes can be really horrible.
But in some ways, being an adult with diabetes is even more daunting. After 20 years with the disease, the finger sticks no longer bother me—and I've grown quite comfortable with having an insulin pump attached to me. (I've had the pump for five and a half years now.) On a pump, my diet is less restricted—and it's easier to keep from going low when I exercise. But now I have bigger fish to fry.
After 10 years with diabetes—for me, when I was just 15--doctors begin to look for diabetic complications at routine visits. Complications associated with diabetes are devastating. For ten years now, doctors have poked and prodded at me, looking for early signs of eye damage leading to blindness, kidney failure, and loss of sensitivity in my feet—the kind that leads to amputations. So far so good—almost.
Four years ago, my ophthalmologist found "minor changes" in my eyes. They're monitoring them carefully, and the changes haven't progressed. Yet.
My future is uncertain. As I struggle every day to control my blood sugar as tightly as I can—that helps in holding off complications—I am keenly aware that the health of my eyes, internal organs, and lower limbs is in danger. And the statistics are harsh: type 1 diabetics are expected to die in their 50s after decades of struggle with complications.
Sure, there are exceptions. I hope to be an exception. I control my diabetes as best I possibly can. But there is just no substitute for a cure.
My boyfriend, Sean, and I decided this year to form a "family team" for the local Seattle Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for a Cure. We—along with thousands of other folks in our city and across the nation—are raising money for the 1 in 300 people in the United States who have or will be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
JDRF has championed funding for a cure for juvenile diabetes since the 1970s; an impressive 80 cents on the dollar goes directly to research for a cure. They donate millions to research yearly. If a cure does come, JDRF's role in finding that cure will not have been trivial.
Sean and I, along with our friends and his family members in the area, will walk on May 20, 2007. I hope you will consider sponsoring me with a pledge. No donation is too small.
With your help, I will be able to say, "I used to have diabetes."
Thank you very much.
Love,
Erin
Erin and I have hope though, that this disease can be cured, and the complications not only eliminated, but reversed. We have formed a team, "Erin's Diabeaters", which will participate in the "Beat the Bridge" walk on May 20th. Here is how you can help us and thousands of others touched by this disease. Please donate what you can, no matter how small you think it may be. Every penny helps us get closer to a world where this disease can no longer attack young and old alike. The link here goes to our fundraising page, as well as the one below. More than 80% goes directly to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) research worldwide, making your donation vital to finding a cure. This is tax deductible (ca-ching!), so save the printed receipt, and pay less in taxes later! Please tell your friends, link to this page, email it, help connect us to many more people, allowing them to give the gift of a cure to many. I ask for your help not only as a concerned citizen, but as someone who is incredibly scared, scared of having to watch the person he loves suffer and die before his very eyes. Please help me help Erin and others, give me the opportunity to enjoy a long rich life with the person I love. Erin and I both thank you for your support, and urge you to consider giving to and publicising our goal.
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