Part of Corey's Crew!

This year, Alex, Josie, Dana and I are excited to get involved in walking for Diabetes. Our little nephew Corey, age 3, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes about a month before his 2nd birthday. I remember what a scary night it was when we all learned Corey was diabetic, not to mention what a close call it was at Children's Hospital in Oakland that night. It's amazing how far Corey and his parents have come in the last year and half, they have gained so much knowledge about children with diabetes. If you have children, you know that raising kids is a full-time job in itself. But, if you had the opportunity to watch Alison and Tyler with Corey, you'd realize it's like having 2 full-time jobs. Since Corey is such an active child, as all children are, his blood sugar constantly seems to go back and forth like a pendulum making it a constant worry for those around him.

The amazing thing about Type 1 Diabetes though is you can tell the donated money is being well spent. Recently Corey was able to get a really cool insulin pump. Now, he doesn't have to get shot with insulin needles as often. The pump has a little needle, he wears the pump on his leg, and when his parents deem it necessary to give him insulin they use a little blackberry type thing to send insulin into him. I know that techonology and research will allow for a cure to be found soon!

Now that Corey is a little older (3) I have been attempting to learn more about helping him out. Corey's parents have a small support system, Alison's parents. It's hard to trust just anybody to watch your diabetic toddler. So recently I have been asking lots of questions and I even tested Corey all by myself once recently. This little boy doesn't even flinch anymore when tested, making it easy for a squirmer like me. My hope is that someday soon I will feel comfortable enough, and more importantly, his parents will feel comfortable enough to let me 'babysit' Corey, to give them and his grandparents a much needed break.

In the meantime the only way I can help out is by participating in the Juvinile Diabetes Walk on November 2nd. My goal is to raise $500. I don't expect for everyone to be able to donate, but if you can and you would like to help out this cause, please click on this link to go to our walk page. Thanks for reading this entry! Paula

Here is our nephew Corey!