I am a mother to two little girls–Jazmine is 8 and Jenna is 5. Jenna was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of two. As a parent, you never imagine a life threatening illness could suddenly strike your beautiful, healthy child. When my baby was diagnosed I went through all the grieving stages. I grieved the loss of a healthy child without any complications–without any reliance on treatments or pharmaceuticals. Without insulin, my daughter would not live. That is an incredibly sobering, gut-wrenching realization to have to come to terms with.

But my Jenna is a survivor. She is incredibly strong and resilient. Jenna loves school and enjoys playing with her friends. She has taught me a thing or two about living. Her bravery and determination inspire me. I am committed to advocating for her and everyone living with diabetes to promote education and awareness and ultimately support the search for better treatments and a cure.

We have a greater appreciation for the simple things. We live life to its fullest. Diabetes has become just another part of our lives. It isn’t easy, but we have an enormous community of people touched by diabetes as our support network. Support is crucial.