Meet our Heroes
Our kids who battle Type -1 everyday are our biggest heroes and source of inspiration. Here are the stories of some of them....
 Kyle, age 5
- Diagnosed at age 2
- 11 finger sticks a day; 12,045 since diagnosis
- 2 pump infusion site changes per week
- 16 doctor visits in 3 years
- 6 days in the hospital since diagnosis
Kyle was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was just 25 months old. It's a disease that affects the whole family, not just the child with diabetes. His younger sister, Callie, has known how to check Kyle’s blood sugar since she was 2 ½-years-old and acts like his nurse all the time.
Three years after being diagnosed, Kyle takes an active role in managing his diabetes: he can perform his own blood sugar checks, read food labels and enter the carbohydrates into his pump. He wants to know when the cure will be found and says he hates having to always remember to take his pump, pump pocket, test strips, checker, insulin, supplies, juice and snacks with him everywhere he goes.
 Angelina, age 6
- Diagnosed at age 2
- 10 finger sticks a day; 14,600 since diagnosis
- 1,460 insulin shots and 2,190 pump infusion site changes in 4 years
- 30 doctor visits since diagnosis
- 2 hospital visits since diagnosis
- 1 diabetic coma
Angelina has had to grow up so fast as a young child because of all the testing, finger pricks, infusion changes and the constant boluses for food she eats. Angelina’s life has changed dramatically as well as our family’s in everything we do. We feel blessed to have Angelina in our lives; she is a true hero and angel. For Angelina, diabetes is like a war and everyday she has to fight her battle to survive. Our hope is that Angelina will touch your heart as she has ours so that maybe, just maybe, one day a cure will be found.
 Devyn, age 6
- Diagnosed at age 2
- 15 finger sticks a day; 21,900 since diagnosis
- 2,000 insulin injections and 400 pump infusion site changes in 4 years
- 16 doctor visits since diagnosis
Having diabetes is a major challenge for children and their families. It is really difficult to juggle carb counting, exercise, stress, illness and all the other things that affect the blood sugar levels on a daily basis. This disease has shown us the importance of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Naturally, Devyn gets frustrated with the rigorous routine, but he is brave and confident that a cure is close. Above all other things it is imperative to never give in to the emotional frustrations diabetes can create. As Devyn's Doctor once told us, “Devyn has diabetes, diabetes does not have him.”
 Christian, age 14
- Diagnosed at age 5
- 6 finger sticks a day; 19,710 finger sticks since diagnosis
- 8,668 shots in 9 years
- 28 doctor’s visits since diagnosis
“Diabetes changes the whole way I think about a day. I have to plan SO much. It can be frustrating sometimes.”
 Carissa, age 11
- Diagnosed at age 6
- 8 finger sticks a day; 14,600 since diagnosis
- 122 pump infusion site changes per year
- 25 doctor visits in 5 years
Carissa is a trooper when it comes to her diabetes. But when you are a kid with diabetes, no matter how much you want to be like other kids, you always have the extra things you have to do to take care of yourself. Just to play a sport you need to check your blood sugar before you start and then sometimes eat extra food or drink a juice. You may have to check again if you feel low or just to make sure your blood sugar is at a good level while playing and then you may need to check again at the end of your sport. Any other kid would just be able to play the sport.
“Having diabetes STINKS! I can’t wait for a cure to be found so I don’t have to check my blood and have a pump attached to me anymore! If there was a cure, I would be a normal kid and eat whatever I want and wouldn’t have to worry about what my blood sugar number is.”
 Aaron, age 14
- Diagnosed at age 7
- 10 finger sticks a day; 25,550 since diagnosis
- 729 pump infusion site changes in 6 years
- 28 doctor visits in 7 years
- 3 hospital stays since diagnosis
All Aaron wants in life is to be a NORMAL kid with normal kid issues. He has had diabetes for half his life and has been under good control all seven years, but still, he now has kidney trouble caused by the diabetes. Since he was diagnosed so young, diabetes robbed him of a carefree childhood. He will never remember a time in his life when he had no worries, or when the worst thing he had to think about was math homework or taking out the trash. Everyday, every minute he has to worry about his blood sugar levels -- will he make it to lunch? Can he do his Tae Kwon Do workout and not go low? How will other kids treat him if they know he has this disease? What will they say if they see his pump site while changing for gym? And worst of all ... What complication is coming next?
"Sometimes I can't believe that this is my life, and it feels like it will never end. A cure for diabetes would mean I could just live a normal life -- no worries, no needles, no problems.
 Ryan, age 8
- Diagnosed at age 2
- 8 finger sticks a day; 23,805 since diagnosis
- 2,800 shots and 580 pump infusion site changes in 6 years
- 24 doctor visits in 6 years
“I can’t remember life without diabetes. I was two-years-old when I was diagnosed. I couldn’t even say diabetes then; I called it ‘diddy biddys.’ I never get a vacation from diabetes, it is with me everywhere I go. I have to think about everything I eat and always count my carbs. I love to play baseball and always check my blood sugars before, during and after my games. Someday I wish there would be a cure for diabetes!”
 Marin, age 8
- Diagnosed at age 6
- 5 finger sticks a day; 3,650 since diagnosis
- At least 2 insulin shots a day; 1,460 since diagnosis...soon to be on an insulin pump!
- 11 doctor visits in 2 years
Diabetes is a most formidable enemy. As parents, we will go to any length to keep Marin healthy. We stay on top of this disease because we know that if we don't it will wear her little body down. We give her shots of insulin to keep her alive. We poke her finger even when she begs us not to because her finger tips are too sore. Every day is a battle and inevitably whenever you think you have this disease ready to surrender, it rallies with a vengeance. We are so thankful to have JDRF as an ally in this fight. The research that it funds leads to advances in technology that help us manage the disease and more importantly brings us closer and closer to a cure. Last year was our first year walking and we found it an absolutely incredible experience. You sometimes feel alone when battling the daily ups and downs of this disease, but watching the waves of walkers meander through the UCSD campus let us know that we are anything but alone. The sense of community and knowledge of how much money was being raised in pursuit of a cure was truly invigorating.
 Allison, age 8
- Diagnosed at age 4
- 10 finger sticks a day; 14,600 since diagnosis
- 624 pump infusion site changes in 4 years
- 16 doctor visits since diagnosis
- 2 hospital visits since diagnosis
- 1-2 calls per day with the school nurse
“Diabetes has changed my life a lot, but I still feel like a regular kid, just with a pump.”
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