My Granddaughter
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Dear Friends and Neighbors, September 1, 2010
The picture in the first post is our grand daughter, Trinity. She will be six years old on September third and has just started kindergarten. She swims, she does ballet, tap, jazz and karate. She is happy, active, inquisitive, creative, friendly, smart and strong. She doesn't just walk; she skips. She doesn't just talk; she carries on a non-ending conversation. In other words she is a very normal little girl. But Trinity is one more thing; she is brave!
Many of you already know that on December 18 of last year, the Friday before Christmas, our precious grand daughter was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.
For those of you who are not familiar with type 1 diabetes, it is an autoimmune disease that attacks the pancreas, shutting down the production of insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and enables our bodies to use carbohydrates for fuel. It is not caused by obesity or by eating too much sugar. Why it happens to one person and not another isn't yet known. While it is often called juvenile diabetes, you do not outgrow it and it can strike a person of any age.
I told you that Trinity is brave. She is insulin dependent and wears a pump that continuously provides insulin through a tube to a needle at an infusion site, which must be changed every second day. Her blood glucose level must be tested between 12 and 15 times a day to avoid dangerous highs or life threatening lows. Her daddy sets his alarm to test her in the middle of the night. Every bite of food she eats must be weighed and the carbohydrates counted in order to adjust the amount of insulin she receives. This insulin is not a cure; it is merely Trinity's life support. Trinity, at five years old, understands why all of this is necessary. She even pokes her own fingers for the glucose test.
As parents and grandparents, it is our instinct from the moment our kids are born to protect them from any harm. We must do everything in our power to help find a cure for Trinity. Unless a cure is found, Trinity will be insulin dependent for life and subject to the potential side effects of diabetes including blindness, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and nerve damage that can lead to amputation. Even with the most careful glucose control, these complications can still develop. It is our mission to spare her from these dreadful possibilities.
There are many devastating diseases in the world. The difference with juvenile diabetes is that a cure is actually attainable and within reach. Scientists are predicting that we can expect a cure for type 1 diabetes well within Trinitys lifetime. But progress doesnt happen without funding.
Her parents and grand parents have decided to do more than just "hope" for a cure! On Saturday, October 30, 2010, TEAM TRINI will participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk To Cure Diabetes at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion in Raleigh. In Peoria the walk is October 3, 2010 at Glen Oak Park. JDRF is the worldwide leader in funding research to cure type 1 diabetes.
You can help make a difference for Trinity or someone to whom you love dearly:
You can walk for all those who have diabetes on October 3rd in Peoria or October 30th in Raleigh. The TEAM TRINI or other teams consists of friends and family who collect pledges of any amount. There is no minimum. The 5 K walk is a fun family event with food, games and entertainment. Trini would love a large turnout! Register on line and donate on line at JDRF - Walk to Cure Diabetes Enter Trinity, Team Trini, North Carolina, or another team and provide the same information in the spaces provided.
For Trinity, this can't be just a "walk"; it has to be a "sprint to the finish line. Please join us in an effort to end diabetes in our lifetime.
With sincere thanks,
Jan and RW (Trinity's grand parents)
The picture in the first post is our grand daughter, Trinity. She will be six years old on September third and has just started kindergarten. She swims, she does ballet, tap, jazz and karate. She is happy, active, inquisitive, creative, friendly, smart and strong. She doesn't just walk; she skips. She doesn't just talk; she carries on a non-ending conversation. In other words she is a very normal little girl. But Trinity is one more thing; she is brave!
Many of you already know that on December 18 of last year, the Friday before Christmas, our precious grand daughter was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.
For those of you who are not familiar with type 1 diabetes, it is an autoimmune disease that attacks the pancreas, shutting down the production of insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and enables our bodies to use carbohydrates for fuel. It is not caused by obesity or by eating too much sugar. Why it happens to one person and not another isn't yet known. While it is often called juvenile diabetes, you do not outgrow it and it can strike a person of any age.
I told you that Trinity is brave. She is insulin dependent and wears a pump that continuously provides insulin through a tube to a needle at an infusion site, which must be changed every second day. Her blood glucose level must be tested between 12 and 15 times a day to avoid dangerous highs or life threatening lows. Her daddy sets his alarm to test her in the middle of the night. Every bite of food she eats must be weighed and the carbohydrates counted in order to adjust the amount of insulin she receives. This insulin is not a cure; it is merely Trinity's life support. Trinity, at five years old, understands why all of this is necessary. She even pokes her own fingers for the glucose test.
As parents and grandparents, it is our instinct from the moment our kids are born to protect them from any harm. We must do everything in our power to help find a cure for Trinity. Unless a cure is found, Trinity will be insulin dependent for life and subject to the potential side effects of diabetes including blindness, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and nerve damage that can lead to amputation. Even with the most careful glucose control, these complications can still develop. It is our mission to spare her from these dreadful possibilities.
There are many devastating diseases in the world. The difference with juvenile diabetes is that a cure is actually attainable and within reach. Scientists are predicting that we can expect a cure for type 1 diabetes well within Trinitys lifetime. But progress doesnt happen without funding.
Her parents and grand parents have decided to do more than just "hope" for a cure! On Saturday, October 30, 2010, TEAM TRINI will participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk To Cure Diabetes at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion in Raleigh. In Peoria the walk is October 3, 2010 at Glen Oak Park. JDRF is the worldwide leader in funding research to cure type 1 diabetes.
You can help make a difference for Trinity or someone to whom you love dearly:
You can walk for all those who have diabetes on October 3rd in Peoria or October 30th in Raleigh. The TEAM TRINI or other teams consists of friends and family who collect pledges of any amount. There is no minimum. The 5 K walk is a fun family event with food, games and entertainment. Trini would love a large turnout! Register on line and donate on line at JDRF - Walk to Cure Diabetes Enter Trinity, Team Trini, North Carolina, or another team and provide the same information in the spaces provided.
For Trinity, this can't be just a "walk"; it has to be a "sprint to the finish line. Please join us in an effort to end diabetes in our lifetime.
With sincere thanks,
Jan and RW (Trinity's grand parents)
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