We participated in a lot of fundraising this year, including our first JDRF One Walk. Now, Henry is a youth ambassador for two cyclists who will complete a 100 mile ride across three states and the Mississippi River in the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes August 11-14. Henry is a youth ambassador for Nicole and Harrison.

 

Participating in each fundraising event is a humbling experience. Sure, it’s not easy to ask friends and family for money, but once the money is raised and I’m at the event, I’m awed by the sheer number of people there. Huge groups of people are in matching shirts, rallying for one person.

When I was in elementary and high school, I knew a couple of people who had type 1. During graduate school, one of our dear friends had been diagnosed just prior to starting school. But these were a few people, and then my son was diagnosed. My world got simultaneously smaller and bigger.

A few months ago, in our little town, I was waiting to pick up some Thai take-out we’d ordered. I heard the beep of what I was certain was an insulin pump. I looked around the five table restaurant and saw an older man bolusing for his meal. It’s happening more frequently: I’m encountering more and more people with type 1. Maybe I’m just seeing things I would have never noticed before, but with all the other families who have infants and toddlers recently diagnosed with type 1 that I meet through events or the in Diabetes Online Community (DOC), I think I’m not only noticing the invisible world of T1D, but also that the incidence of T1D is on the rise.

I recently heard a talk by the ADA president, and he said that every 20 years the incidence of type 1 diabetes is doubling. It’s no wonder that a JDRF One Walk or JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes event should host a larger than expected number of people who have been affected by type 1. So that’s the girt of it: while a cure remains elusive, an increasing number of people will need a cure. If you’ve got an extra $5 bucks, send it to Nicole and Harrison as they fundraise for the JDRF.

One day, when Henry’s older, I’d love to train for this ride and complete it with him. In the meantime, here’s a really great podcast, where diabetes mom, Moria McCarthy, talks about he challenges of completing a JDRF with her daughter, Lauren, who happens to have type 1. The podcast is Diabetes Connections by Stacey Simms.

Harrison and Nicole, we’re cheering you on!