This year, we'll be taking part in JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes, along with one-half million other walkers across the country, as we try to reach our nationwide goal of raising $94 million. We have a personal tie to this event through our son Will. Will's Story
On January 13, 2012, our son, Will (age 6), was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Joe and Amy were both exposed to someone close to us that
had T1D, so we recognized some of the symptoms; i.e. excessive eating, drinking and urinaiton. We took Will in for a check-up when we noticed this and sure enough, he was immediately sent to Frederick Memorial Hospital. They stabilized him right away and started him on an insulin regimen to stabilize his blood sugar. Praise the Lord, Will was not in DKA, or Diabetic Ketoacidosis, which is when the sugar is so high the body begins to shut down. Will's blood sugar level was 485. Normal range for his age is 80-180. In the morning, the Pediatrician on call came to visit and explained his son was also diagnosed with T1D and that he was sending us the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He said they had had a fantastic experience there and thought we would feel comfortable. It was a Saturday, but the on call Pediatric Endocrinologist was waiting for us and the diabetes education nurses would be there to give us "survival skills" training on Sunday. So, we went home, showered, and headed to D.C. Emma was enjoying an awesome weekend of pottery painting and skiing with Aunt Cassandra, Uncle John and cousin Austin and checked in on brother frequently! FMH was wonderful and took great care of us. Children's was also a magnificent experience. They took us right in and worked Will up immediately. We were taken to our room and the adventure and education began. Joe and Amy went through 8 hours of training before we were released to go home on Sunday. The training was beneficial, but we did not feel worthy of this responsibility. God gave us the strength to face it head on and it was Will's attitude and willingness to embrace this new normal that made it all happen! We arrived in Frederick on Sunday night about 8 pm and we were on our own. We have since aligned ourselves with the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Through our story, we are hoping that you will be inspired to walk with us to support Will and the fight for a cure for T1D or make a donation to support this cause. Will is doing amazingly well and is very involved with his diabetes management, as is Emma. They love to help and are both well versed in the injections and blood sugar checks. We've even let them stick their bears at night! Will does a blood sugar check about 6-10 times per day and gets insulin 4 times per day. He will eventually get a pump, but we are not there yet. His teachers and friends have been super supportive and we feel very blessed. Our education continues and is reaching to our entire family. We are so thankful for all of their love and support and willingness to embrace T1D. What is T1D? Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, and can be fatal. There is some good news, though. JDRF is our best hope for finding a cure. It funds more type 1 diabetes research than any other charity worldwide and it's making progress along many promising paths toward better treatments and a cure. We are asking for your support. Please donate to Will's personal fundraising efforts. By doing so, you can help us make a difference for millions of people living with type 1 diabetes. If you can join us on April 21 in Baltimore, we would love as many walkers as possible on the team. If you can join us, make sure you log on to the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes and when you select the team, look for "Wild Will's Crew." Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as possible or walk with us? Thank you for your support! Joe, Amy, Emma, and Will Hodge
