Jada's Dawg Pound

Dear Family and Friends:

 It is that time of year again, we are gearing up for our second annual walk to cure diabetes.  Last year was a huge success for our team.  We raised over $5,000 and were one of the top new teams. We hope we can match or exceed that amount this year.

Jada is six and in first grade, and has been conquering diabetes for about 1 ½ years.  She loves school, gymnastics and has so many friends.  This past summer Jada attended her first camp, Camp Needlepoint.  There she spent the week with kids her age who also have type 1 diabetes.  She absolutely loved camp, talked about it non-stop, and can?t wait to go back again this summer.  Another exciting event for Jada this summer was she got an insulin pump.  We still have her rigorous blood testing and we have to count, weigh or measure everything she eats.  Her blood levels still need to be checked when she plays and sometimes when she sleeps.  But now instead of her shots she has her insulin pump giving her the insulin.  She is still not a fan of the set changes that happen every couple days (this is the site on her body where the insulin goes in).  They are painful, but Jada is always a trooper and rarely complains! 

As you have seen, she is full of smiles, laughs, and is a very happy young girl despite her daily diabetes routine.  Jada does her own blood sugar checks and is very involved in her diabetes care at her young age. Jada continually amazes us and is such a blessing to have in our lives as a daily reminder of spirit, humility, and a positive attitude.

 This year Jada completed an ?all about me? poster for a school project.  One of the items on the poster was:  ?If I had one wish??  Jada?s one wish was to not have diabetes anymore.  It saddens our heart that a six year old, with all of the make believe or fun things you could think of Jada would choose to not have diabetes anymore.  We also wish and pray more than anything that she will get to see her wish come true!  This is where the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) can help obtain this wish for Jada and so many others.  JDRF is the #1 non-profit funder of diabetes research worldwide.    One of JDRF?s largest fundraising events is the "Walk to Cure Diabetes."  We have a team called "Jada's Dawg Pound" and we are raising money towards this cause. This year's walk will be held on Saturday, February 23rd at the Mall of America starting at 8 am.

If you are interested, there are three ways you can help us make a difference for Jada:

You can join our Family Team, known as "Jada's Dawg Pound" which consists of family and friends who collect pledges and walk with us.  Just click on: http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/jadasdawgpound

•  to donate, register to walk, or provide support.
• Send your donation and contact others to donate as well. 
• You can send our family a tax-deductible contribution in any amount, made payable to JDRF. We will deliver any donations in Jada?s honor the morning of the Walk.

 Thanks for helping our team towards reaching our goal of $5,000 this year. Thank you for your support and we would be honored to see you at the Walk on February 23rd!

If you have any questions about donating or walking with us on February 23rd you can contact either of us at:

jedgadient@gmail.com or jodi.gadient@gmail.com

 Cell phones

Jed 612-964-1826  Jodi 763-232-1880

Jed and Jodi Gadient

17966 Nixon Ct NW Elk River, MN 55330

If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt for the walk, contact one of us with your size by February 10th.  They will be black with white print.  We will be using this same shirt for the next few years. Cost is $15.