Justin's Personal Page

Hello,

My name is Justin Strand, and I am 4 years old!  I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes November 27th, 2009, when I was 14 months old, and spent a week in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit trying to get better. My fingers get poked ALOT through the day and night to check my blood sugar.  I used to get shots of insulin, but now I wear a pump that injects insulin constantly into my body.  I also used to wear a sensor that told me if my blood sugar was too high or too low, but it didn't work very well.  I'm hoping for a better sensor soon...or a diabetic alert dog. 

I started poking my own finger when I was two years old.  Now I can get out my own strip, put it into my PDM, and totally take my own blood sugar all by myself!  AND, I can take off my pod and all the tape all by myself now, too!

Since I have diabetes, if I get sick with a cold, my blood sugar goes super high for weeks, and I feel yukky, but if I get the stomach flu, I would have to go back to the hospital.  When my blood sugar goes low, I get really super crabby and sweaty.  The worst part about diabetes is when the pump needle pokes into my arm or leg, and when the tape comes off to change my pod...that kinda hurts me.  When my mom says she's sorry I have diabetes, I just tell her, "It's not so bad."

Even though I have diabetes, I still get to do lots of cool things!  I ride my pony AND big horses, and get to show in Lead Line classes at the horse shows!  I also learned to ride a bike last summer...it's soooo much fun!  AND I'm going to start swimming lessons soon, too!

My theme this year is 'roping.'  In December 2011, I met Luke Branquinho, the 2011 & 2012 PRCA World Champion Steer Wrestler...he's got diabetes, just like me!  He showed me his pump and gave me a tie rope, which I take EVERYWHERE with me! I've been practicing with my tie rope and lasso...maybe someday I'll be the best in the world, too!

This year, I'll be taking part in JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes, along with one-half million other walkers across the country, as we try to reach our nationwide goal of raising $94 million.  

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, and can be fatal. There is some good news, though...JDRF is our best hope for finding a CURE! It funds more type 1 diabetes research than any other charity worldwide and it's making promising progress along many paths toward better treatments and a cure.

So, I'm asking for your help and support!  Please donate to my personal fundraising efforts, and you can help make a difference for me and millions of people living with type 1 diabetes!

Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as possible?!

Thank you for your support!

Justin Strand, and my family, Jody, Janice, Megan, Aminah, and Shea

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