Pipestone Flyer
Submitted by Cassandra Karabonik
This is the 7th year for the JDRF Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Walk to Cure Juvenile Diabetes in Calmar. The grand total raised for the past 6 years is $117,758 without including the $17,000 that Telus matched the first year.
The Walk was started by the Pruneau family, who lost family member Brandi to complications with her diabetes at just 23 years of age. They have done an amazing job, and the walk gets bigger every year.
There are three ambassadors this year; Sarah, age twelve; Ava, age eight; and Emry, age six.
Emry was diagnosed at the age of three, and this was her 4th year as Calmar’s walk ambassador. Being a child with type 1 diabetes is no easy task for child or parent. Emry has four insulin needles a day, and tests her blood glucose by pricking her finger at least 8 times a day. She measures everything she eats, and has to stay within a precise carbohydrate count and eat at exact times to balance her food to insulin calculation. Exercise and other things affect her, and she needs to be tested and have activity snacks to keep her from having a low blood sugar that would cause her to go unconscious or seizure.
She is tested once in the middle of the night as well to avoid a low blood sugar from occurring, and her not waking up the next morning. In all of this, she is still a happy, energetic child that loves gymnastics and soccer and playing with her friends. Emry and her family greatly appreciate all the fundraising efforts of everyone for juvenile diabetes to one day find a cure. A cure to Emry would mean no more needles, being able to have sleepovers at friends and not be tested all the time. A cure to her parents would mean a full night sleep and not worrying about low blood sugars in the night, or at school away from their care, or high blood sugars risking her organ health.
This year, the Calmar walk has raised $23,500 for JDRF and there were approximately 80 participants. Anyone can still donate to the walk by going online to jdrfca.donordrive.com.
Thank you so much from all the families that JDRF touches for your support.
Pictured: Team Emry - Photo by Linda Doerr.