JDRF...mimi told me to do so!

[bouncybouncy]

In an earlier thread of donation dilemma mimi said I could post here I do realize there is another thread asking for donations for the same charity but I just wanted to throw my letter out there as well...Thanks for visiting!

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing on behalf of Cameron, my seven-year-old cousin. Cameron was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes when he was just 18 months old. This means he is dependent on insulin for the rest of his life; it isn’t a cure, but merely a life support. At 4 years he was able to begin using an insulin pump. This allows Cameron to control his insulin without having to use syringes but he still must prick his fingers throughout the day to measure his blood sugar level. The management of Cameron’s disease is still a daily challenge depending on all the things that can affect his blood sugar (growing, eating, playing too hard, fighting a cold, or just being a normal little boy). He will have blood sugar “highs” and “lows” that go unexplained but using the pump is a HUGE improvement over multiple insulin shots. The pump has become a natural, constant attachment to Cameron, however he still requires continuous attention and care. Cameron and his family are looking forward to using a continuous blood monitoring system that will allow them to reduce the number of finger pricks.

With a cure, Cameron and other diabetic children will be able to enjoy happy, active, normal lives. Hopefully there will be a day when he can eat all the ice cream or cookies he wants without being “too high” or play hard like a little boy should without going “too low”. But sadly, more research is needed to get there.

Cameron’s family has done more than “hope” for a cure by participating in the JDRF walk with their local chapter in Denver, CO. So far they have raised more than $8,300. This year I have decided to blend my passion for riding with a good cause, in hopes of finding a cure. On Saturday, September 8, 2007 I will be riding my bicycle 105 miles for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund to raise money for diabetes research.

I, along with Cameron’s family (Jenni, Dan, and little sis Sydney) am asking for help from my family and friends. One way you can support is by going to our website

www.logover.com

then click the JDRF ride for Cameron link and donating a tax-deductible contribution in any amount.

For more than three decades, JDRF, the largest charitable fund provider for Type 1 diabetes research worldwide, has been renowned as a highly effective medical research organization with remarkable efficiency in directing donor dollars to its mission. JDRF uses an amazing 86% of its donations to fund research and education. There are many promising research projects underway that may someday lead to a cure to this disease that affects Cameron, as well as millions of other children and adults.

With sincere thanks,
Laurie
allyzdreamn@yahoo.com

[jandmw]

Best of luck to you! You are really doing a wonderful thing and you should be proud.

[bouncybouncy]

Thank you Mimi!!! A tear welled up in my eye! I appreciate your kindness and generosity!

Cameron is such a neat kid (no bias here) and it would be such a gift to find a cure in his lifetime...

and Thanks for the wellwish jandmw...I hope to raise a ton!

[mimitabby]

ah, sure. Folks from TE helped me too. And they also helped Trek. and all we're doing is raising money for charity! win-win and Tax deductible!

[bouncybouncy]

Eileen...Thank You!!! I told my cousin about the book...Cameron is probably not old enough to read through it but it may help her get him through his "active years"!!! He is a very athletic child, which helps, but makes it very hard to keep his sugars level! That is one reason they went with the pump at such an early age and he has done wonderfully with it! He loves to talk...and tell people all about it. He is also Celiac (gluten intolerant) which has created a few issues, but it seems as of lately gluten free foods are becoming much more available making life alot easier for them.

Funny story: My cousin, Jenni (Cameron's Mom) is the PICKIEST eater ever!!! and LOVES her pasta!!! she would drive all of crazy with all her "special" requests...now she has a son who is doing the same to her His is of course a need not a request, but we are a very lighthearted family and like to see the good/funny side of life...and this is one of those moments! Jenni is also a very "anal" person...schedule keeping comes natural to her! She almost can't function without a scheduled routine...so although it is quite an adjustment and rigid lifestyle, Jenni of all people handles it with grace!!!


Thank you

[bouncybouncy]

I also noticed an Anne...and I do not recognize the name, so if you are from TE;

Thank You for your generosity!!!



My mother is amazed at the generosity from this site...she can't get over that a complete stranger has donated. I told her that these women, although may have never met, have a connection in someway!

[Triskeliongirl]

You are very welcome. I strongly urge haveing Cameron's parents read the book. While he can eat whatever he wants on insulin therapy, as you said, maintaining good control is hard since even with a pump its easy to overshoot or undershoot, the consequences of both of which are quite serious. By eating a low carb diet, the amount of insulin can be dramatically reduced, therefore the fluctuations will be smaller and errors smaller, preserving his long term health. This diet would also be gluten free, just even more stringent.

Eileen...Thank You!!! I told my cousin about the book...Cameron is probably not old enough to read through it but it may help her get him through his "active years"!!! He is a very athletic child, which helps, but makes it very hard to keep his sugars level! That is one reason they went with the pump at such an early age and he has done wonderfully with it! He loves to talk...and tell people all about it. He is also Celiac (gluten intolerant) which has created a few issues, but it seems as of lately gluten free foods are becoming much more available making life alot easier for them. Thank you

[onimity]

Hi Laurie,

Yep, I'm Anne & from TE. I keep meaning to write an actual comment in this thread and keep forgetting...but I think that what you are doing is really wonderful. My sister (& riding buddy) Sara has type 1 (she was diagnosed at 11, 14 years ago) and while the highs & lows can be a bit of a pain, I am *so* thankful for the research that has been done already to let her, Cameron and millions of others maintain active, normal lives and am hopeful that research and technology will continue to improve the lives of people with type 1. Sometimes we have to stop on rides until her blood sugar rises and that can be frustrating for both of us but more often than not it's no more of an inconvenience than saddle sores or my bum knee. And we get through it all; sometimes it just includes a spontaneous 'test stop' and Gu picnic. And to be honest, these times make me thankful that Sara is as healthy as she is, that she's not still on shots, where things were so much more unpredictable, or that she wasn't born a century ago when her condition would have been fatal.

I was reading the other day about the first patients given insulin and the treatment that was popular for type 1 before that, essentially a starvation diet that would let them hang on for a few painful weeks, months or years. Truly awful, and that was in the 1920s. Things have come such a long way.

I'm so happy to read your posts about Cameron, he's adorable and seems like a strong little guy. He is so lucky to have access to a pump and CGMS at such a young age. My sister got her first pump just before college and just got approval from her insurance company for her CGMS this week. We are over the moon about that because it will make it a lot easier for her to keep in good control and see lows and highs as they approach, rather than simply having to react to them. (She'll still have to test +/- 8 times a day with her standard finger poke meter to calibrate & confirm tests, but she'll have a much better idea of what her sugars are doing. The best descriptions I have read compare it to a movie as opposed to still photos.)

It's really great too that Cameron is really active. There are few things that can be more beneficial to him & IMO perhaps the best gift you are giving to him through this ride is the inspiration to do similar things himself and to continue to be fit & active as you are.

My sister and I are riding the Colorado Tour de Cure this year and would *love* to see Cameron & his family ride if they would be interested (or you if you want to come out to CO!) My sister started a team 'Team Sweet Pea' and we'd love to have more people join us. The Tour team is doing a lot to recognize diabetic riders this year and my sis has really been inspired by a lot of the people she has met (not to mention that they say before training rides that anyone should just shout if they need to stop and test their blood sugar!).

As for the comment here about maintaining a low carb diet, that is something which will benefit some people more than others & given his already restricted diet it seems like further restrictions might do more harm than good, IMO. My sister is extremely active and eats a *lot* of carbs. She also has excellent control of her glucose and A1C readings that are generally very close to or in the normal (non-diabetic) range. But to her carbs are critical (as they are to me) because she is very active. That might not be such a great plan for someone else. I assume that if Cameron is in Denver that he goes to the Barbara Davis Center. If so, they have many, many excellent resources as I am sure he and his family are aware and they can recommend a specific plan based on his individual needs.

Congrats to you for the wonderful thing that you are doing. Because of people like you, and the research your efforts support, people like Cameron, Sara, RAAM's Team Type 1 and millions of others have a massively improved quality of life and hopefully some day a cure.

Thank you.

Anne

[bouncybouncy]

It was not like any other ride I have done…no time-clock, no mass charge to be the first off the start-line…just a group of people doing what they love for people they love. This was my second time ever attempting to ride 100 miles in one day. I was extremely nervous that I would even be able to get started…you see the weeks prior I had a horrible head-cold which couched me for 5 days, then a vacation with all the food I could eat and little to no exercise, and to top that off on my return flight I caught another head-cold within days of the ride!!! I was not a healthy cyclist…this was not a good training record!

The day was gorgeous…sunny, cool, clear, and slight breeze! The crowd was relatively small for an organized ride in this area but it made for a quaint, family-like atmosphere. There were bikes of all statures…race bikes, new bikes, old bike, hybrids, and one tandem. I started out with what seemed to be the more “experienced” riders…meaning: they looked like racers when not riding for JDRF. I probably could have stayed with them for the day if I had not had such an issue with “pack” riding…riding with more than 4-5 riders in a group is just not appealing to me! At mile 10 I found myself alone…not new for me since I tend to prefer it that way on the road bike. For the rest of the 90 miles I was literally riding “my own ride”

Typically during a century there is what is known as the “80 mile wall” this is where a cyclist usually has a mild mental breakdown and questions everything from…”why am I here?” to “I hate my bike!” with a “I want my Mommy!!!” thrown in. For various reasons I never had any thoughts resembling “this is hard…I wanna quit!” It was almost surreal to not feel any pain!

I do believe the tranquility I experienced is due to the fact that this was one little day…not even 7 hours…of my life in honor of those who suffer daily. The pain was not something I had to force out of my head, it was simply NOT there! I thought of Cameron a lot during my ride…what a great kid he is! How he has brought such light to our family and how such a little time and/or contribution can hopefully one day take away his “80 mile wall”

With your generous donations we are that much closer…Thank you!!!

With Love
Laurie
And family!!!


P.S. Due to scheduling conflicts Cameron and his family were not able to join me on my ride as planned…but next year I will make sure he will be there to pedal across the finish line!

OH…and also…not a week after my ride Cameron took a digger on his bike resulting in 5 stitches on the chin! Healing wishes and a thought from his mtbiking cousin…
“If you don’t fall, you’re not riding hard enough!!!” wooohooooooooo