The Zak Pak

Hello, I?m Karli Baumann. Many of you have helped support my brother?s walk team, The Zak Pak, in the past. My family is sincerely thankful for all of the contributions we have received in past years. However, we have not yet reached our main goal:  to find a cure for diabetes, but every year JDRF gets closer and closer to finding that cure.

I am 17 years old and a junior at a private high school called Countryside Montessori. Zak is now 20 and a junior this year too; this year he is at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is majoring in Software and Information Systems in the College of Computing and Informatics and also minoring in Criminal Justice. Zak has stayed involved in our church?s youth group primarily through music as Zak and I both continue to express ourselves through music. We have lead many worship services at our church, Advent Lutheran, with both the youth and homeless men and women around Charlotte. We are also both heavily involved in a Christian retreat called TEC, Teens Encounter Christ.

Zak?s diabetes has in many ways affected our entire family?s lives.  I remember it all.  I remember the long ride to the hospital.  I remember praying around Zak the night he was diagnosed with my family and some of our close friends.  I remember wondering why mom was so nervous and scared all the time when Zak would do things just like the other kids.  It took me a long time to understand what exactly had happened. 

Zak has type one diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes. This means that Zak?s pancreas does not produce insulin, which is a hormone that regulates human?s blood glucose level.  Because of this, he must take it as a medicine. As a result, he must always be prepared for cases of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar from too much insulin) and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar from too little insulin).  Zak must work exceedingly hard to keep his blood glucose in control. He has to test his blood glucose level 6-10 times a day by pricking his finger and putting a drop of blood onto a ?test strip? in a glucometer. The reading from the strip indicates whether or not he needs more or less insulin.  This means on average he pricks his finger 3,500 times a year.  This year, Zak was able to get a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System. This is a sensor that Zak wears, along with his insulin pump, which checks his blood sugar every 5 minutes and sends the reading wirelessly to his insulin pump for a continuous reading. The finger pricks are still necessary to calibrate the system, but it allows Zak to have much more control over his blood sugar.

Zak uses a device called an ?insulin pump? to give his body the insulin he needs throughout the day and after he eats.  The pump is about the size of a cell phone.  Even though the pump helps Zak navigate the obstacles of each day, insulin is not a cure; it?s just life support.  So, I?m asking for your support of the Zak Pak and JDRF?s Walk for a Cure.

There are so many ways to help raise money to fund the search for a cure.  Just think about it, you can get 10 people to donate 10 dollars and you have already raised 100 dollars!  You can ask family members, friends, neighbors, anyone you know. You can make a difference, an impact, and even simply bring awareness to those in your community.  JDRF is a wonderful organization whose single goal is to find a cure for juvenile diabetes. I am hoping that you will consider helping JDRF find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes by sponsoring ?The Zak Pak?. It?s easy and any contribution you make will be truly appreciated.  I am very proud to call Zak my brother.  He is my hero. There is still so much to learn about diabetes. One thing I do know is that no one deserves to have diabetes. For more information about The Zak Pak, go to www.thezakpak.com .