JDRF 2011 Walk for the Cure

It's time again for Hank's diabetes walk! This year's Pittsburgh walk is September 17th, and raises money for research to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Thanks to the generous support of our family and friends, Hank has raised over $1000 each of the 6 years he has walked and his goal this year to is raise over $1000 again. Thank you all for supporting Hank's cause over the years.

Hank is 10 years old and has had diabetes for 6 and a half years now. It does not slow him down! He is active in sports, looking no different from his teammates except for the insulin pump hanging off his waistband (lucky Hank - the coaches allow him to leave his shirt untucked to "protect" it!). Hank does all of his own blood tests, counts the grams of carbs in the food he eats, and uses the pump without assistance. He still needs me to change his pump sites (every 2-3 days). This year our goal has been to get him to remember that EVERY thing he eats or drinks has to be entered into the pump... sometimes hard to remember when you are only 10 and often eating on the run!

This year Hank went to diabetes camp again and had a great time. It's the one time that nobody asks what that thing is on his waistband, understands what it means to be "low" (blood sugar), and knows how frustrating it can be to have to prick your finger several times in a row to get a big enough drop of blood for the test.

Hank is also doing well with the celiac - eating gluten free gets easier all the time, and with the thyroid disease - thats just a few pills a day :) As I always say, Hank is a healthy kid, it just takes a lot of work to keep him that way!

If you are able to support Hank's fundraising efforts, you can donate through the link I've added on the left sidebar, or if you prefer to write a check, please make it out to JDRF and we will turn it in on walk day.

Thank you all!