Heidi's Personal Page

Hello! This year, our family will 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 goal of raising $89 million.

Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, is a devastating disease that affects millions of people, a large and growing percentage of them children. Unlike the more commonly talked about Type 2 diabetes, where the pancreas continues to function and the effects of the disease can be manipulated with attention to diet and exercise, Type 1 diabetics are instantly insulin-dependent, as the pancreas has ceased to function at all. The cause is unknown, but the hope for a cure is strong, and new research is bringing new insights about the disease.

Annika was diagnosed in 2008 when she was five years old and lives with numerous daily finger pokes, insulin injections, and insulin pump infusion site changes. Each day her carbohydrates are counted, level of activity monitored, and insulin boluses given to try and keep her blood glucose at normal levels as her pancreas no longer functions. She is insulin-dependent and will be until a cure is found. She is brave and strong, as are all the kids that must deal with this life-threatening disease daily. Annika has added Tae Kwon Do to her repetoire this past year and has advanced to the level of green belt. She doesn't let her condition slow her down, but when asked what she thinks about having type 1 diabetes she succintly says, "It sucks."

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 progress along many promising paths toward better treatments and a cure. CharityWatch.org rates give JDRF an 'A' rating as over 75% of donated funds go directly to research to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. Now, more than ever, you can make a crucial difference. Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as possible? Together, we can make the cure a reality!

Thank you for your support!

(P.S. Johanna, Annika's twin sister, raises money throughout the year for JDRF by selling hand-painted rocks, acorns and pinecones, as well as the occasional lemonade stand at the end of the driveway.)

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