When asked why they are Diabetes Champions, they said:

In February 2000, our son, Daniel, was diagnosed with t1 diabetes. He was almost 12 years old at the time. That was the day his life and ours changed; it was the worst day of our lives. Although the hospital staff were fabulous and gave Dan excellent care and encouragement, all we could think about was “why him – why not me?” We felt the guilt of wondering what we had done to cause this or what we had not done to prevent it – how did we miss the signs? Our understanding of the disease is better now, so there is less guilt. We understand that we could not have prevented this. The helpless feeling of not being able to take this away from him and make him better, however, remains. It is a terrible feeling to have as a parent – to be unable to protect your child and we know that until we find a cure there are going to be too many more families like ours.

Dan is now 21 and has lived almost half his life with diabetes. We know that, while he can live a normal healthy life if he takes care of himself, it is a daily grinding struggle. The impact of not being constantly vigilant could be devastating. We do what we can to support him; by encouraging (sometimes “nagging”) him to monitor and control his blood sugar levels, and by raising funds and awareness (through Team Diabetes). We do all that we can, but it will not be enough until there is a cure.

We are Diabetes Champions because Dan’s health and ultimately his life are at stake. If we do not champion his cause, who will?

Stephen and Monique Gagnon