Jonathon is my son. In March of 2009 he was diagnosed with Type 1. He was only four yares old. He took it better than we did. I think he understood that the insulin he was getting was going to make him feel better. Jonathon has never been scared of anything diabetes related. On Dec. 23rd 2010 Jonathon recieved the Insulin pump. He said it was the best Christmas present he could ever get. Jonathon is always willing to talk to anyone about his diabetes. When kids in his class ask him about testing his sugar or about his pump he tells all about it. My favorite response has to be when he tells people about his pump. he says ” Your body gives you insulin inside your body. Mine comes from right here” pointing to his pump. On monday Nov. 14 Jonathon and I will be going from class to class at his school to educate the children about Type 1 & 2 Diabetes. He is my hero, never complains about all the testing and needles. He just does it because that what has to be done to feel better. In the 2 yrs since his diagnosis I have learned so much about Diabetes. But the most important thing I have learned is that Jonathon is still a healthy, vibrant, awesome kid.

At the age of 7, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in December 1960. I have been successfully living with this disease for over 50 years and have seem many wonderful changes and great advancements in the care of and the research being done. I give thanks to the many researchers who make living with this disease less of a burder and more simply a way of maintaining a healthy life style. As a volunteer for the Canadian Diabetes Assoc. and an Area Captain for TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), I have made it my goal to educate and help people to live a healthy life style.

Hi
This is me, Romina. I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic in 2008. I use Insulin 4 times a day. I don’t have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. I exercise 5 days a week about 1 hour.

I have been LIVING with Type 1 Diabetes for 23 years! I have 2 beautiful children, an amazing husband and a dog. I am an avid runner, just completing my 9 th 1/2 marathon with a new PB of 1:40. I do all of these things while constantly monitoring my glucose and relying on my insulin pump to ensure a high quality of life. Diabetes is a challenge that I conquer daily with a positive attitude and the desire to be strong and healthy!

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.

My father was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 1 years old in 1941. Through it all he has lived with dignity and grace for over 70 years with diabetes never letting it get him down or stop him from doing anything. He has been an inspiration and has helped my brother, myself and my son who are also Type 1 diabetes by giving us advice and support.

Thanks Dad!

In 2007 I developed gestational diabetes. After the birth of my daughter my 6 week check up was great and my blood sugars had returned to normal! Unfortunately, by September of 2008 the signs of diabetes had presented themselves again; extreme fatigue, nausea, weight loss. Exercise, diet restrictions and medication changes worked for short periods but the weight loss and fatigue continued. Not to mention the extreme thirst and frequent trips to the washroom through the night. In March of 2009 I was referred to an endocrinologist who told me I had type 1 diabetes and required insulin for life. Since then I have continued to keep those dietary changes and exercise practices in place. I feel so much better!

Each year my family and friends rally together and we participate in the JDRF Telus Walk for diabetes and each November I canvass in my neighborhood for the Canadian Diabetes Association. With the giving help of so many people, I believe research will find a cure for this widely known disease that is sadly misunderstood.

On November 14 we are wearing blue to show our awareness!

Braiden was 5 yrs old when diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. The road between then and now wasn’t always easy, but he hasn’t let diabetes get in the way of his goals and dreams. Today Braiden is 11 years old and an amazing athlete! He’s constantly on the go with soccer and has excelled at everything he’s put his mind too. The finger pokes, the needles, the different lifestyle then his friends, it never gets him down. Braiden is the strongest person I know. That is why he’s my Warrior. I am so very proud to be his Aunt.

At the age of 8 my parents knew there was something wrong when I started to lose weight and sleep all the time. My parents believed I had the flu and they hoped with Christmas around the corner, that I would snap out of it. Instead I continued to get worse and after sleeping through Christmas and New Years, ignoring all my new toys and losing almost half my body weight my parents knew the problem was far worse than the flu.

I was taken to see our family doctor the very first day his practice opened in the New Year. I was examined, weighed, given blood work and sent home to await the results. When my father laid me on our couch that day and kissed me goodbye before leaving for a business trip he never imagined that less than 8 hours later our lives would change forever.

On January 2, 1990 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

It is with mixed emotions that I reflect on the last 20 years of my life and what it has been like living with this chronic disease. In the past 20 years I have had over 29,000 injections, tested my glucose over 36,000 times, and used 9 different types of insulin and 10 different glucose meters. I have had to use Glucagon (instant glucose, injected to raise blood glucose in patients who have lost consciousness due to hypoglycemia) 5 times and have had over 40 hospital visits.

As scary as all that sounds with the support of the Canadian Diabetes Association I have lived the last 20 years without complications.

Because of the research efforts of the Canadian Diabetes Association I have had access to the best medications, devices and supplies and I have hope that a cure will be found in my lifetime. Because of the Canadian Diabetes Association my family was able to send me to Camp Huronda (residential summer camp for children living with type 1 diabetes) for 9 years something we would not have been able to afford on our own. Because of the Canadian Diabetes Association I have met over 500 other young people living with diabetes and have been able to share our stories, struggles and triumphs. Because of the Canadian Diabetes Association I have a voice to aid in the fight against diabetes.

My beautiful sister has had type 1 diabetes since the age of 6. Now 45, she got it at a time when syringes and scare tactics about never touching sugar were the norm and blood monitoring was approximate. I remember going to the hospital when she was in a coma at the very beginning and watching her practice injections on an orange. She had lots of little lumps on her body from all the injections and regularly woke up screaming with nightmares from bad blood sugars throughout her early childhood. While I was always sympathetic, I couldn’t really appreciate how it actually felt. Now that I too have type 1, the physical toll is all too clear. Worse perhaps though, is the mental burden of constant self-monitoring and the complex balancing act of maintaining control. Imagining anew what it must have been like for a little girl of six using what now seem like prehistoric tools to take all this on is what makes me put her forward as a champion; that and the fact that she is always investigating better ways to manage her health. After years of erratic sugar levels that had turned her into a “brittle” diabetic, she is now on the pump and enjoying more health stability than ever before. I champion her courage, perseverance, hopeful energy, and all the great things she has accomplished despite dealing with this difficult disease for most of her life.