Today...I count my blessings for the opportunity that I have to be part of history.
3 years ago, when we decided to get involved with JDRF, I had no idea what we (our family) were getting involved in. We honestly got involved with JDRF to give Micheala the opportunity to be around other children with T1D. We were no strangers to diabetes, as I had lived with it for 17 years at that point, and we somewhat went into Micheala's T1D with knowledge of how to "manage" the disease. Our involvement started simply for the social side of what was offered by JDRF. My oh my, what 3 years, a full heart and an open mind can do for one's perspective.
It's no secret that we are JDRF! I know that others may get tired of my constant mention of JDRF and what our family is doing to try and create T1D free futures for those with this disease. I have learned to shut those people out as my daughter's future and the future of those friends that I have made through JDRF are far too important to me to care about what others may say behind my back. I have been told, through the grapevine, that my efforts are pointless as there will never be a cure. I ask those people to look at the same little girl that I do every night and tell that to her. It's no secret that people have gotten tired of watching us succeed in our fundraising efforts. I don't blame that on people being cold hearted about raising money for the cure, I believe that they just don't like to see others succeed. i am fine with that as well. Being humble is something that I struggle with because I am proud of what my family and dedicated committee of Pump Princess team members achieve. I celebrate because I need to celebrate. There is a lot of hard work that goes in to what we do, anyone associated with Team Pump Princess knows this....it doesn't come without stress, elbow grease and time commitment. I need to stop...I am not here tonight to talk about the negative or defend what we do and how we do it.
After 3 years, we have embraced the opportunity that JDRF has offered us. The opportunity to be part of history.
There is going to be a cure for T1D. It is just a matter of time. Being part of the staff at JDRF and having access to all of the research updates, i get excited because I am reading about all of the advancements made in research to cure, prevent and treat T1D. I believe that when my girls decided to start their own families that diabetes will not be a concern. I am excited to think about the possibility of someday wearing an artificial pancreas as the technology of making this a reality is advancing everyday.
We are going to be in the history books. Everyone who makes the commitment to donate, volunteer or assist JDRF in anyway is going to be remembered as being part of the cure. I am not sure about all of you, but an opportunity to be part of something so special is a unique lifetime opportunity....so why not embrace it?
The issue with T1D is that we appear to be healthy to the naked eye. That is not a bad thing, but it does make it more difficult for the outsider to understand or embrace the disease. I could put a diabetic in a classroom full of kids their age and it would be difficult to pick the diabetic out (unless their pump was visible). It's not just kids that deal with T1D. These kids eventually grow up and become adults with T1D. in a conversation the other night I was having with a parent of a T1D, the parent mention to me that her daughter is "graduating from JDRF" because she was turning 15 and getting too old for JDRF. My challenge as a staff member is to keep this young girl's involvement with JDRF because T1D doesn't go away at a certain age. She has come so far and done so much through JDRF, I would hate for her to feel or even think that she has reached an age in which JDRF can no longer assist her.
It's not easy to ask someone to donate to a cause that is working to cure a disease that they cannot see. We, the T1D community, all have our stories that we tell about the day-to-day struggles that we have with T1D and that helps, but I really dream of people embracing the opportunity to be part of history. Be part of something that we will only read about in the history books. I believe this..I have no reason not too.
It's easy to turn and look the other way. Not everyone feels called upon to dedicate their lives to a mission to cure T1D, I understand that. But...
What if ten minutes of your life could result in an action that would be remembered for a lifetime and beyond? What if?
What if $10 of your annual earnings was the $10 that assisted in funding a cure for T1D? What if?
I ask these questions because it only takes 10 minutes to donate $10. Not that $10 has to be your maximum donation, I just use that amount to prove that every dollar counts. It really does.
When I was growing up I wanted to be a professional baseball player. I let a disease called T1D give me an excuse to not work hard and pursue my dreams. Allowing myself to fall victim to this disease allowed me to live my life with mediocre expectations and a sense of "I will never accomplish anything worth while because diabetes will always stop me". I spent my childhood playing baseball (which I love and still do), played in high school and a couple years at a division 3 college until I finally gave up. The point is not being a professional baseball player because the odds of making it to the MLB is difficult even for those that work hard at making it. The point is that I gave up on that dream because of a disease that I got, (didn't ask for or cause). How many other T1Ds are there out there that feel the same way? (My dreams will not come true because I have diabetes).
We are in the process of making history and changing history. No more giving up on those things we dream about as kids. No more feeling defeated before we have even stepped foot into the ring. Help us keep the dreams alive...help us change history.
No comments:
Post a Comment