Help Callie raise money

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page! 

This past Halloween, just a few weeks after his fourth birthday, my son Wally was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), an incurable autoimmune disease. 

Wally had been extremely thirsty over a two week period, which I had recently learned through another T1D mom raising money for JDRF was a sign of T1D. Wally's pediatrician gave him an otherwise clean bill of health at his annual physical, but given the water intake, I asked for a urine test to "rule out diabetes." This is not a routine test, so please ask for your child to be tested right away if you notice extreme thirst! We were so lucky to have caught this relatively early before he was in critical condition (DKA), as many folks are at diagnosis. 

Because his pancreas has stopped producing insulin Wally is insulin dependent. He would enter DKA, a serious complication of diabetes that can be life-threatening, within just hours without insulin. Wally would die without insulin within a few days. It is horrifying as a parent to think about this. Too much insulin can also be life-threatening. It is a complicated process to get the correct dosage of insulin for such an active, small human, which changes constantly as he keeps growing and depending on which way the wind is blowing (lol it’s an art 🫠🙃). 

Prior to Wally's diagnosis, we had no idea just how demanding and relentless this disease is. It has been round the clock monitoring and care for our sweet boy since his diagnosis. He is doing so welll; it is a LOT of work for us to keep him healthy and let him just be a kid! We are lucky that Wally is able to wear an insulin pump (Onnipod 5) that delivers his insulin without always having to give him a shot. We change this pump every 2-3 days. Wally loves to help with these “pod” changes, especially giving the pump its shot of insulin! Wally always wears a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that allows us to see his blood sugar levels with updated readings every 5 minutes. It can be tough to look at Wally and see how much “real estate” on his tiny body that these two devices take up. Sometimes these devices fail, so we must constantly check that they are working properly to ensure Wally’s safety.

We have been so amazed by his bravery and resilience through the thousands of finger pokes, hundreds of insulin shots, dozens of insulin pump and CGM changes, and so many low blood sugar treatments. 

When we reflect on our days at bedtime, Wally often asks when we think there will be a cure for T1D; he wants to be cured so badly. It is heartbreaking to hear him ask this question and talk about how it is so hard to have diabetes. He lights up when we tell him that we are going to do everything in our power to help find a cure. For us, this means running the Falmouth Road Race in August and participating in the JDRF One Walk in Boston in September to raise money for a cure.

We feel so fortunate to live in the Boston area where we have access to the most amazing medical care, but shudder to think of how so many people live with less care than this disease requires. 

Thank you to all of our doctors, nurses, friends, and family who have picked us up and cared for our boy over the last 6+ months. We couldn't do it without you! 

Thank you for helping us find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes!