Having The Best Umbrella

"I didn't create the rain, I just try to have the best umbrella."

The above is a quote from one of my favorite movies, Almost Famous. Every once in a while I think about this quote. I thought of this quote on my way to work this morning.

I didn't sleep well last night. As a matter of fact, I haven't slept well all week. I finally stopped fighting it and got up at 3 am and decided to come to work. I couldn't stop thinking about all of the things that needed to be done at work and felt obligated to get up and start working on those things. I couldn't do anything but worry about this stuff at home, so rather than worry, I wanted to start adding action.

Micheala is still in recovery mode, which means the rest of our family is in recovery mode. Heather was home with Micheala all day yesterday and was basically on top of her every move. Micheala was getting her blood sugar tested every hour and Heather struggled to control them. Something is off. Regardless of Heather's best efforts, Micheala's blood sugars ran high all day and night. Because of this, we had to fight with Micheala last night. When sugars are high, you are very hungry. Micheala wanted to constantly eat last night, but we couldn't allow her to eat whenever she wanted, because we were trying to bring her sugars down. We pushed water, which usually helps, but not last night. Finally she gave up and just went to sleep last night.

I get very pissed because, again, I know what she is going through. I get pissed that we have to tell her no, but it is in her best interest. Something is off and it is beyond the knowledge of Heather and myself. So this means we have to make numerous calls and possibly visit the doctor again. After the run-ins we had this past week with doctors, we are not thrilled.

Right now, we are in "keep Micheala out of the hospital mode". We are never really out of the woods just because she was discharged from the hospital. Heather has missed the whole week of work, not to mention the incredible amount of stress that this adds to our days. However, we know who we are and we will be victorious. We just need to fight to get through this storm. Which brings me to the subject of today's blog, having the best umbrella.

We are no different than any other family. We all have our stressors; unique to our own families or what not. How do we get through these times? Fortunately, for all of us, life is full of choices and being in times of great stress is no different. The way I see it, we have a decision to make during these times. We could 1) go stick our heads in the sand like cowards and hope that the stress just goes away with time or 2) grab the bull by the horns and tackle the animal we know as our stress. We choose option 2.

We can choose option 2 because of the umbrella that we have created to shield us from the stress storm. This umbrella is made up of our unconditional love for one another, our faith, the people in our lives that care about us, the understanding that we can ask the people around us for help and our never say never attitude. Having these things in place has created a solid umbrella over our family that prevents us from getting soaked with stress. It helps us move forward without slowing down. It helps us keep a clear line of sight on our hopes, dreams and desires. It keeps us safe during the conditions that life throws at us that are out of our control.

We are holding our umbrella now.

I take great pleasure in defeating obsticles that are throw in front of me. Especially when I am told that it cannot be done. Heather and I continue to discuss the comment made from a certain medical professional the other day. What bothered me the most about the comment is that this doctor stood on one side of my daughter's hospital bed while my daughter was laying in this bed hooked to IVs and with my wife on the other side of her bed. He made this comment while standing over my daughter. How would you like to hear from a doctor that your parents should not of had you? She is 6. She is capable of understanding what the doctor meant by that comment. I pray that God has given Micheala the strength to not only forgive, but to also forget.

Once I became familar with my purpose, I stopped asking God "Why". It is clear to me what I am suppose to be doing. Now I ask God for the strength to facilitate the "How". I ask God for a hand in holding our umbrella, especially in times in which I feel my strength to hold the umbrella is depleating.

Always carry your umbrella with you, even if you look outside and there doesn't look as if there is a chance of rain. Make sure your umbrella is well crafted, with no holes or tears. Most importantly, focus on those standing under that umbrella with you.

I wish you all a sunny day with no chance of rain.

"You Know I Love You.....Right?"

First off, I must apologize. I apologize because whenever Micheala is hospitalized, I go through a period of deep thought and now that I have this blog, I put these thoughts into my writing.

As most of you are friends of mine on Facebook, you have read my post about our run in with the 3 doctors yesterday at the hospital. The first 2 doctors came into our room and started telling us that with Micheala's current conditions, she will probably develop Celiac and Addison's. This is something that we are aware of, but didn't necessarily want to hear after all of the excitement of the past 2 days. The 3rd doctor came in yesterday and told Heather that he ran a family medical history on our family. His findings apparently allowed him to give his opinion that we shouldn't of had children. Thank you medical professional for your opinion that cannot be reversed or fixed. I am pretty sure that our intentions of having children was not to give them every medical problem that we could. As I stated last night, I wouldn't change a thing.

It's very easy for me to hold up my middle finger and show everyone that we are 1) NUMBER ONE and 2) Fuck You if you don't think so (sorry for the language). But I don't do that, that's not who I am. I have surrounded myself with love. The love I have for who I am and want to be. The Love that I receive from my family and friends. The love of what I do on a day-to-day basis. This love is my shield and it protects me from anything negative that tries to penetrate. It still stings, but it doesn't cut and most importantly, won't leave a scar.

As I got ready for work today, everyone in my house was sleeping. Micheala woke up and made her way to the couch to watch cartoons. I got dressed and was ready to walk out the door, but before I stepped out, I turned to take a final look at her sitting on the couch. I paused for a moment and then said to her, "You know I love you....right?" She looked at me and said, "I love you too, Daddy."

I walked out the door and headed to work.

During my drive I thought about what I had said to Micheala. Why was I questioning her? Did I need confirmation from her this morning that she knows that I love her? If I am being the father that she needs then there should be no reason to question. That's' when I started prioritizing my life.

The point that I am getting at is how did I allow myself to get to a point in which I have to ask my kids if they know that I love them? I would like to think that I am not in the minority when it comes to being guilty of letting other things get in the way of what is truly important in life.

My baby was in the hospital and my focus was at my workplace. Not okay in my eyes. I used work as a distraction, that I will admit. I work with great people that understand my situation and know how to do the right things at the right times. I am very appreciative of them.

Do your loved ones know that you love them? I know that this is a question that I am working on eliminating from my life. They will all know. They will see it, feel it and know it.

On another note, Micheala and I will be sharing our story in front of 70 corporate heads at the Cedar Rapids Country Club on November 9th at 7am. This is just another blessed opportunity to advocate for a cure for juvenile diabetes.

Micheala is home from school today, recovering. She is doing well, but is still pretty run down. We appreciate all of the thoughts, prayers and visitors. We love every single one of you. I am humbled to know that there are people in our lives that will take a little time out of their day to pray for my daughter. God has been good to us.

Dylanne Cried

Most of you know by now that Micheala was admitted into the hospital yesterday. She had been battling illness the past week and her body just couldn't handle it anymore and shut down on her. She went into DKA (Diabetic Keto Acidosis) and was a very sick girl. She was not comprehensive, threw up and was basically out of it. She is in good hands now and on the road to recovery. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers.

This is usually a time that I spend the next 24 hours guilt stricken. With the cold and flu season coming up, its like I have sent my baby girl into war without a bullet proof vest. I pray every day that during this war, she doesn't get hit with a direst shot. I also get angry. Angry that knowing my little girl is laying helpless in a hospital bed because of a disease she got from her daddy. This fires me up and motivates me even more to find some sort of cure for Juvenile Diabetes.

Throughout all of this yesterday, I learned a pretty cool lesson. A lesson from my 8 year old Dylanne.

I picked Dylanne up after school yesterday and we headed to the hospital to see Kla. Dylanne had the usual "what happened" questions, nothing out of the norm. As we walked into Klas room, Kla lit up and was happy to see Dylanne. 0dylanne sat in her bed with her and colored until Kla said she wanted to go to sleep. Dylanne and I decided to leave. Kla cried a bit, again nothing out of the norm, as Dylanne and I left. We got to the elevator and Dylanne joked that she wouldn't be able to annoy Kla tonight. We headed across the parking lot and got into our car, then it hit her.

Kla wasn't coming home with us tonight.

Dylanne cried all the way home and for about 10 minutes after we were home. I explained to Dylanne that Kla would be okay because she is a tough little girl. As I thouht more about the night, I should have seen this coming because before we left Michealas room, Dylanne wrote, "Kla, I love you very 10000 very much - Love Dylanne" on the doctors dry erase board.

Tonight made me realize that Heather and I are far from perfect parents, but we have done something right. We built a solid foundation of love for one another within our family. When one of us hurts, we all hurt. Even though they spend a majority of their time at home fighting with each other, it was made very clear tonight that nobody or nothing messes with anyone in our family.

In a couple days, things will be back to normal. The girls will be arguing again and quite frankly, I wouldn't want it any other way.

We are a family of 4; 4-ever loving each other.

It Takes A Little More To Make A Champion

When I was in High School, one of my favorite sweatshirts was a sweatshirt made by Champion. On the tag of that sweatshirt was Champion's slogan "It takes a little more to make a champion", which is the topic of the blog today.

Getting into "fundraising season" I often ask people to go above and beyond for me. Whether it be stepping out of their comfort zone to ask strangers for donations or to advocate for juvenile diabetes. I push those that I know can handle the challenge. Those who can handle the challenge push themselves.

I want to mention one champion in particular today. The reason that I mention this guy is because he is a champion that is pushing himself. That man is Kyle Rueter.

I met Kyle on a bus ride down to Texas. We were both attending an Advocare event in efforts to better our lives both physically and financially. We both had the opportunity on the way back to stand in front of everyone on the bus and talk about our purpose. Why we are doing what we are doing. Where we are and where we are going to be. It wasn't until a few weeks later that Kyle contacted me on Facebook and told me that he was running in his first 1/2 marathon. I was extremely excited for Kyle, but even more excited about his next offer. That offer was that he wanted to run his race in honor of Micheala.

I was completely floored. This race is a big accomplishment for Kyle and to have him say that he wanted to run in honor of Micheala was quite humbling. Not only will he be running for himself; he has asked his friends and family to make a donation to support him in his race, in which he will donate those funds to Team Pump Princess. He is on a mission to raise $1000.

What triggers this type of behavior in someone? I know Kyle has his own beautiful family which means that he can relate with me in regards to how I feel about protecting my daughter as a father. But is that enough to trigger this type of fundraiser for a stranger? It's the X-Factor that Kyle has that makes him do these things.

From what I have learned about Kyle is that he doesn't "half-ass" things. He goes big or he doesn't go at all. This is what makes him a champion. He doesn't visualize himself succeeding by himself, but succeeding with others. That's what makes him a champion. He is someone that will give 99% and keep working until he achieves that last 1%. That's what makes him a champion.

So with Saturday being the big day for Kyle, I want him to know that 4 of us in Urbana Iowa will be thinking of him as he crosses the finish line. We will pray for him so that his race comes without injury. We will be thankful that he thought enough of us to include us in his big day.

It takes a little more to make a champion....just watch Kyle and you'll see.

Good luck Kyle!

Have You Ever Looked Fear In The Face And Said, "I Don' t Care?"

"Glitter in the Air" by Pink poses the question, "Have you ever looked fear in the face and said I don't care?" I heard this song on my way to work this morning and it got me thinking. Thinking about a situation that happened a year ago with Micheala and some friends that were over playing with Dylanne.

It was time to check Micheala's blood sugar so, we had to ask Micheala to stop playing for a moment. The other kids watched as Micheala poked her finger to get her blood glucose reading. Nothing was said, nor were any questions asked. Once we were done, Heather and I walked away and they continued to play. I started to hear the kids conversation turn to diabetes, so I stood in the other room so I could hear, but not be seen. One of the girls made the statement, "You know that you are gonna die from diabetes." That's when I entered the room. I entered to protect Micheala, but also to explain to the little girl that we don't think about death because it could happen to anyone of us at anytime, for any reason. We think about how we are living now. I walked out fascinated.

I knew Micheala was going to have questions about death and her diabetes, but never expected Dylanne to have those concerns. Dylanne asked me a few days later, "Is Micheala going to die soon because of her diabetes?" It was a great question for many reasons. It gave me the opportunity to explain to Dylanne why Heather and I have to give Micheala so much attention, but also to explain to her what diabetes does to Micheala's body and how we can prevent it.

She then asked me if I was going to die from diabetes.

"I don't know."

I don't know if diabetes is going to be my cause of death but I know that it is a cause of a lot of my heartache. The average lifespan of someone with diabetes is 15 years less than some one without diabetes, so death is definitely a fear amongst us diabetics. But we have to look at that fear right in the face and say, "I don't care." We continue to take care of ourselves not because we fear death, but because we enjoy living.

It is my hope that Micheala will never have to hear those words from anyone again, but I can't control what others say. I can just help Micheala to believe that a cure is on the way and that she should take care of herself so she can be part of that cure. I also know that when people start talking about death, it's because they stopped living.

So I look at my fear and say that I don't care. I don't care because I am living right now. I encourage all of you to do the same. Live don't just exist.

$94.90

So.....as I start my season of stress (JDRF Walk Fund Raising), I like to know where I am at, because I know where I am going to be. Our goal this year is to raise $13,001. This was given to us by Micheala as a challenge. The first year we nearly raised $4,000. Last year we raised $11,009. So why not up the stakes?

Being a baseball guy, I believe that everything has a statistic. So I started running numbers today. Team Pump Princess needs to average raising about $94.90 per day until the day of the walk to meet our goal. I at least know where we are at, but $94.90 is a bit steep.

Donations have their ebbs and flows. We have fundraisers that bring in a large amount, then we have days with no donations. Last year our goal was $10,000 and with 2 weeks left before the walk, we were only at $8,300. A very stressful 14 days, but we pulled through and exceeded or goal. This year will be no different, accept for the fact that we will have to reach more people than the year prior.

I am a little donations type of guy. I don't look for the big fish to hand over $100, I look for any individual willing to donate $1. It just makes sense on the advocacy side of things. I could find 100 people to donate $100 or I could find 10,000 people to donate $1. Which way will I reach more people.

You will probably get phone calls or an e-mail from me at some point asking you to join in our fight. I ask that you pay attention at your local convenient stores and look for the JDRF shoes. Purchase 1, they are only $1. Put your name on it for everyone to see and announce your support for JDRF.

But and Butt

I use this blog for a few reasons. 1) To hopefully motivate people into living the life they want to live. 2) To advocate for the cure of Juvenile Diabetes. 3) To document my random thought, or at least what is going on in my mind and 4) to bring up questions to make you think about your own life. Today I choose to blog about reason number 4.

When the word "but" is brought up in my household, my children laugh. They laugh because they think that "but" is actually referring to "butt". They have little boy humor, so after "butt" is mentioned, they carry on for hours. My kids are on to something....maybe I should start laughing at the word "but".

"But" is a word that is usually followed by a group of other words that ultimately forms an excuse. "I would do this but.....", "I should go there but....", "I could help that person but...." and so on. I can say that I have lived my life as a "butt" because I used the word "but" far too often. I have since changed that because I found that just doing something was far easier than trying to come up with a decent excuse.

"I should raise money and awareness for juvenile diabetes but....", yeah there was no excuse. I had all of the reasons why I should, but chose to try and manufacture an excuse to not put in the work. So the way I see it, when we say "but", it's because we want to sit on our "butt".

Sitting on your butt then leads to further problems and stress, which results in having to come up with more "buts" for taking care of the new developing problems in your life. Actions speak louder than words. You can listen to the most motivating speakers this world has to offer, get pumped up, leave and say you're going to conquer the world and get home and do nothing. Actions speak louder than words!

I recently had someone tell me, "but you don't know how bad my life is right now." My response to them was, "No I don't, but do you know how good your life could be right now?" Get off your butt and stop saying but. I have said it before because it was some of the best advice anyone has ever given me, "If there is something in your world that you don't like, it is up to you to change it." Unhappy with government; did you vote? Unhappy with another person; did you talk to them? Unhappy with your financial situation, then what are you doing to cut spending? Unhappy with your body, then what are you doing to get in shape? Unhappy at work, then what are you doing to change that situation?

Great things throughout history have been accomplished because ONE person eliminated all of the "buts" in their thinking. Soon, people around them started doing the same. Take the freedom of this country for example. At some point, one person stood up and said something to the effect of, "If we want something, we have to do it", and the rest you can say is history.

I hate to use the phrase from Nike, but "Just Do It". If you want something, are unhappy about something or just seeking a better you...stop saying but, get off your butt and start making your own history.

I believe that everyone wakes up every morning with the opportunity to make a difference, BUT that is up to you.

Never

Have you ever stopped to think about all of the things that you said you would never do in your lifetime? I am guilty of saying that I will never do certain things for one reason or another, but I have never really thought about the "why I wouldn't do those things" part of my statements.

I will start with an easy one of my own. I said that I would never fly in an airplane. A majority of people on this earth fly quite frequently, but I was not going to be one of those. Was it because of 9/11? No, because I made this declaration far before 9/11. Was it because I was afraid that the plane would crash? Not really because there are statistics out there that state that more people die annually in automobile accidents than in airplane crashes. I really had no good excuse other than I didn't want to fly. I DIDN'T WANT to fly.

I got on my first airplane in the Des Moines airport on January 2010 with my best friend Roger Brecht. I wasn't nervous, other than the not knowing how to get through the airport security and so on, but that is why Roger was there, to help me through the things I didn't know. I was flying to Miami, Florida to see Iowa play Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. I made it there and back with no problems other than a 2 hour delay in Indianapolis. Why did I decide to get on a plane when a swore that I would never do such a thing. Easy, I wanted to see Iowa play in a bowl game. I WANTED TO.

This leads me to my thought of the day. If I want it bad enough, I will do it, regardless of the reasons that stopped me from doing it before.

I had some encounters with people who won't fund raise because they don't like being told, "No Thanks". My question to them is, "Well don't you want to accomplish what ever goal it is that your fundraising for?"

I guess what I am trying to say today is that we should spend more time talking about the things we are going to do, rather than the things we will never do. Matter of fact, don't put limits on your life. Don't talk about the things you'll never do, because there may come a time when you do what ever that is to get what you want.

I said I would never get married. I said I never would have kids. I said I would never let my kids play soccer. I said that I would never live in Urbana.

Those are a few of the things I said I would never do.

I have been married for ten years because I found a woman that I love and I wanted to keep her in my life forever. I have 2 children because after marriage, I wanted to have a family. My girls both play soccer because I wanted to have them make their own choices and most importantly be involved in something. I own a house in Urbana because that is where the house we were looking for was located.

This just scratches the surface of the things that I had said I would never do and now am doing. Never is a long time. Life is too short for "nevers". Although there is room for one "never" in my life....I never want to say never again.

Have a great weekend.

I Am One Person; I Have One Purpose.

I am one person.

I have one purpose.

I sat through a training last night in Cedar Rapids in which the speaker suggested that everyone write their own mission statement. A mission statement much the companies that you all work for have written. Keep the same things in mind...what is your purpose and what are you going to do to meet that expectation. So, like other things that I hear, i thought about this for a long time last night. Do I write a mission statement for Team Pump Princess? How about just for my family? Then I remembered the speaker specifically saying, "Write YOUR mission statement", so I knew that this was to be about me and me only.

I had to start with my purpose, which is easy and known by many of you, "A cure for juvenile diabetes". As I dug deeper, it's wasn't so much about finding a cure for diabetes as much as it was me fulfilling my promise to Micheala about doing everything I can to help in the efforts to find a cure for diabetes. So my purpose is my promise to Micheala.

What are the action steps that I need to take to meet my purpose? Daily? Hourly? This is when the flood gates of ideas opened up and I realized that even though my purpose was strong, my actions were weak. Do I talk about diabetes with people that ask me about it? Yes, but I don't approach people and tell them our story and what we are trying to do. Do I raise money every year for the walk? Yes, but I focus on one event that happens once a year rather than continuously make efforts to raise money year round. Do I believe in what I am doing? Yes, but I struggle to get others to feel the same. Question after question rolled through my head last night until I finally realized that I needed to hold myself accountable if I was truly going to reach my purpose.

So it was time to put something in writing.

The thoughts of many different ways to word this mission statement were rolling through my head. It has to sound professional and be specific. So I started composing in my head. I would get through the first sentence, then would fall short of the proper words to insert. I would start again, but run into another word road block. I was clearly trying to complicate something that shouldn't be so complicated. But it was complicated, this is the mission statement of my life. So after a long night of thought and a morning of agony, I came up with a mission statement. It is simple and spells out everything that I need to do to reach my purpose.

"I am one person. I have one purpose."

That's it. I am one person, but I am one person that knows what needs to be done. I know that a Kool-Aid stand in the middle of January may be necessary to assist in raising funds. I know that I need to advocate to everyone and that I need to stress every night about reaching our fundraising goals. I know that I can fuel my committee into raising money for JDRF and I know that I am a leader.

I have one purpose. My purpose is to fulfill the promise that I made to my daughter. I know that means doing whatever it takes. I know that means to be honest and to handle myself with professionalism and integrity. I know that I have other children counting on me to be an advocate for their cure. I know that I will have to volunteer and do extra things. I know my purpose and what it takes.

The accountability lies within my heart. Who do I let down if I don't follow through? I live with them.....I am them. ONE person with ONE purpose can change the world.

I am THAT person.

I have THAT purpose.

"I am Tired Of Getting Asked Questions!"

"I am tired of getting asked questions!" This was Micheala's response to my question about why she wanted to wear a long sleeve shirt on a hot day.

Tuesday morning we had to change Micheala's pump site location. She usually puts her pump site on her legs, rotating the site from leg to leg every three days. Her legs started getting pretty marked up, so we wanted to change the location to her stomach. She started getting to the point where she was using all of the locations on her stomach, so we decided to go to a 3rd location, her tricep area. She fought us a little bit about this location, but not for the reasons that I would have anticipated.

Usually, when changing her site, she throws a fit about the new site location going to hurt. We put the site in and it doesn't hurt her, but she still manages to throw a fit every time we change sites. I think she is trying to manipulate something out of Heather and I as we both hate to see our children cry. But this site change was different. She didn't want her site in her arm because it would be visible to her class mates. Micheala begins to tell us that every time she checks her blood sugar and does insulin at school, her class mates gather around and start asking questions. She stated that she gets tired of this and the questions are always, "What are you doing?"

Micheala wants to be like everyone else. She doesn't like the attention that she gets from her class mates when it comes to her diabetes. I explained to her that they are curious and just want to know about diabetes. I told her that she should answer questions that are asked when concerning her diabetes so that people can better understand diabetes. On the other hand, I understand where she is coming from. I am not shy about talking diabetes with people because I have accepted the role of being an advocate for the cure. But I started thinking back to my younger years of being a diabetic and how I just wanted to be a normal kid. I have people that are from the community that I grew up in still come up to me and say that they never knew I was a diabetic. I never advertised it to anyone, but I never really took the time to think about how I use to hide it from everyone.

So do you stop asking questions? Absolutely not! I want to educate, advocate and inform everyone that has questions about juvenile diabetes. Just understand that sometimes, like Micheala's case, she gets tired of answering questions and doesn't quite understand why you are asking questions.

I think this brings up the point in which you should be proud of who you are; diabetes or not. Diabetes is not something that you choose to have, it chooses you, so embrace whatever it is and make it part of who you are. I don't walk into a room and announce to everyone that I am a diabetic, but if someone asks me what I have been up to, I usually respond with, "Trying to find a cure for my daughter", which leads into our story.

Be proud of who you are and what you will become.

On a side note, we were down at University of Iowa hospitals yesterday for a thyroid/diabetes check up for Micheala. Our doctor, who is new to us, stated that she thought we looked familiar and wondered if we were at the JDRF Gala last Saturday. When I said yes, she immediately complimented me on our video and my speech. She said it was her favorite part. One thing led to another and I got her to commit to attending the JDRF Walk for the Cure in February 2012. Even if it was one person, it was rewarding to know that on Saturday night, we made a difference. I am really starting to buy into the idea that ONE person can make a difference. I use to think otherwise. A mistake that I kept making but finally have learned from....I CAN, SO I WILL!

240,000 Reasons Why Saturday Night Was A Success

I was pretty nervous all week. I was about to speak in front of the big crowd filled with some of the top Executives and big wigs in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area. I was out of my league. I am a small towner at a big city event. I had no choice. I had to be there. I had to speak. I had to share my message.

Saturday morning, the morning before the Gala, I was sitting at Dylanne's soccer game and having conversations with the parents to help take my mind off the upcoming evening. I got a text message from my good friend, Michael Roberts, that said, "Good luck tonight! You will change many lives". I instantly responded to him, "Thanks, I have no choice, I have to be good, too many kids depending on me tonight". That's when I stopped being nervous and felt confident that I would knock it out of the park.

I was asked to do a sound check at 10:30am. So, Dylanne and I went to the Marriot Hotel and did the sound check. I did not make it through the first run through. I started getting choked up and had to stop. The JDRF Executive Diorector then informed me that it was okay to be emotional, but I want to stand firm and make sure my message was delivered. I was also informed that a video interview that Micheala and I shot months earlier would be playing prior to me speaking. in shooting that video a few months ago, I did get choked up and had to stop, so I knew that I was in for an emotional night. I read through my second take and made it without crying, but I read way to fast and thought my message may have been lost. I left the Marriot hoping that God could pull me through the evening, because I was going to have to lean on God more than ever on Saturday night.

Heather and I got all dressed up on Saturday afternoon, jumped into the car with our neighbors and headed to the Gala. My parents were there which was awesome, but they have always been very supportive and I knew that they wouldn't miss this evening for the world. I was instructed by my wife to stay away from the open bar, but did manage to sneak a few drinks down, but only to loosen me up a bit. I agreed with Heather, I didn't want to blow this opportunity by sounding like a blubbering idiot.

I not going to lie, I turned my head and tried to not listen as they played the Mike and Micheala interview. When the video was over, I walked with confidence on to the stage and delivered this message:

"In my own fundraising efforts, I often pass along this phrase, “It’s not just about raising funds, it’s about being part of something special, it’s about being part of the cure”. I pass this along to all of you tonight because each and every one of you has the opportunity to be part of something special…the cure.

Tonight is all about you. It’s about what you can do as an individual to assist JDRF and all of the JDRF families in funding a cure for our loved ones who battle with juvenile diabetes. Your donations and support is your opportunity to make a difference and join in our fight.

Even though I have lived with juvenile diabetes for 20 years, tonight I advocate for my 6 year old daughter, Micheala, who has battled juvenile diabetes since the age of 4. I advocate for her because her juvenile diabetes is a result of having a father with juvenile diabetes. I’ve thought about my life with juvenile diabetes and it enhances my motivation for a cure because it pains me to know what her future has in store for her. I promised her that I would do everything that I can to find a cure for her diabetes and I don’t intend to break that promise.

I am smart enough to know that I cannot do this by myself. I, on behalf of every JDRF family, am asking for your help. Help us put an end to juvenile diabetes.

Your donations tonight will help fund the resources that can accelerate the research in finding a cure. In the next portion of the evening, 100% of all funds raised will go directly to supporting research. So if you came here tonight on the fence about making a donation, I hope that you will reconsider based on that statistic alone.

Hope is an often used word in the JDRF community because as of right now, it is all we have. Hope that people like you will understand our disease. Hope that one of our stories will reach you and trigger your decision to make a difference. Hope that our medical professionals receive the funds necessary to keep preforming research. For me, I hope for the day when I can wake up, stare into Micheala’s big beautiful blue eyes and say, “I told you I would do everything to help find a cure and today is your last day of living with diabetes”.

So I ask you this, “What about now”? Your donation could be the funds that assist in finding the cure. Stand up and be counted. On a personal note, Stand up for my daughter. Make the decision to change the world that we live in. Donate tonight and be part of something very special, be part of the cure.

Thank you for listening, for your support and your consideration. Let’s make our hope become a reality and change some lives tonight."

I walked off the stage knowing that the message that I sent was a winner. I felt good about what I said and how I said it.

The JDRF Gala raised over $240,000 on Saturday night, but there is still know cure. We must keep fighting...we must keep advocating.

A special thank you to all of those who believe in me and my purpose. Whether you were there in person or had me in your thoughts Saturday night, I could never be half of what I am without your support.