Let's Work on Curing Diabetes!*

This, my devoted Cake Eater readers, is my nephew, James.

This photo was taken at my sister's house, during our recent family reunion. 

Looks pretty laid back, doesn't he? 

Well, that's the thing.  James, age nine, is laid back, but only as much as he can be.  He works being laid back into his schedule, and his schedule is fairly rigorous because he has Type I Diabetes, or Juvenile Diabetes. 

I've written about James here before, as I help him raise funds every year for Omaha's Walk to Cure Diabetes, in which he and his family are active participants.   So, forgive me, my devoted Cake Eater readers, if this seems all-too familiar, but this disease still exists, there still is no cure for it, and we would, still, really like there to be one. 

This year, however, I'm not going to go into how many insulin shots James has to receive every day because, well, he no longer has to receive them.  Thanks to the fabulous Omnipod pump he started using this past winter, he receives a steady dose of insulin, all day and all night, and no longer has to endure a shot before each meal, or one of long-acting insulin in the morning.  His blood sugar numbers no longer get excessively out of whack, thanks to him just being an active kid, so my sister, his mom, no longer has to force him to eat at regular intervals to get his blood sugar numbers back up, or, conversely, get him to slow down, to get them back down.  At school, he no longer has to go track down one of the adults at school who know how to give him a shot before lunch.  No longer is he, or his family, restricted to a tight meal schedule.  It was a given, before he had the pump installed, that if you couldn't get a hold of his mother at any other point during the day, you could at least track her down right before six at their house, as they had to eat PRECISELY at six because of James' diabetes.  No longer.  They can keep up with baseball and basketball games, and eat when they get home, whenever that might be.  (Ironically enough, I'm told, my brother-in-law gets a little cranky now if dinner isn't on the table at six.  Because he's gotten used to it and he likes having his dinner then.)  Christi, my sister and James' mom, no longer has to pack up half the fridge and part of their pantry with food James would eat before they leave the house.  Now, it's just a few snacks and that's that---no different than anyone else with active, hungry kids.  Mainly, though, the best part about the pump is the freedom it's given James.  When he goes on a sleepover, his mother no longer has to show up at seven in the morning to give him a shot.  He's no longer tethered to his parents, because he had to be tethered to them.  Not so much anymore.  The pump gives him the freedom to be a kid...a regular, active kid.   He even enjoys showing it off, as he did at the family reunion, when he ran around in his swim trunks, the pump attached to his abdomen via waterproof tape.  He thinks it's cool, and you can't fault him on his observations because, damn it, it is cool.

Of course, however, there's a catch.  There always is one when medical intervention is needed, as I've learned this past year, and James' case is no different in this regard.  While the pump works well and regulates the amount of insulin he needs, he still has to check his blood sugar often.  Which means numerous finger pricks all day, every day, and it's quite freaky, when you see him do it, because he does it without a second thought.  It's just part of his routine.  Also, for the pump to work optimally, he needs to stick to an optimum diet, meaning he doesn't really have leave to eat things he wouldn't have eaten before he went on the pump.  Yes, he could, conceivably, snarf a Snickers anytime he wanted to, because they can adjust the insulin dose to allow his body to handle it, but it's not something he'd be able to do all the time, because it would send his numbers out of whack.  They want the insulin dose to be steady, and the only way you can do that is to keep the diet it has to handle steady.  This means that, yes, he still has to count carbs, and while Christi tells me he's quite good at adding everything up,. it's just not a skill you want a nine-year-old to have.  Thank God he, apparently, doesn't suck at math, like his dear Aunt Kathy.  But, most of all, the lifetime risks of having Type I Diabetes haven't magically disappeared because he's using a pump now.  As a result of being insulin-dependent, he could still, possibly, go blind; he risks amputation of his hands and feet because insulin isn't kind to the nerves in those regions; and he could possibly go into a coma, if he doesn't watch his blood sugar levels and take care of himself.   While the pump is great, it's not a cure-all.  Just because you can manage the problem better, doesn't mean it's a solution unto itself.  I think people sometimes forget that. 

A little over a week ago, James and his family headed home early from our family reunion to participate in the Omaha-Council Bluffs Walk to Cure Diabetes, sponsored by JDRF, or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  This organization has been there for James since Day One of his diagnosis, and he likes to return the favor by raising money for them every year.  This year, the walk went great (even though Aunt Kathy didn't have her blog up and running in time to fundraise beforehand), and Christi, his mom, will be posting some video she took of the event for you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, to view at your leisure, so you can get the flavor of the event.  Even though the walk has passed, there's still time to donate to James' team, James' Jaywalkers.  If James' story has inspired you to help out, Go here and give what you can.  No donation is too small and, honestly and truly, we're grateful for every dime.  All together, they've raised about $3000 total, but they're still a bit short of their goal.  Let's see if we can't help them out, eh, my devoted Cake Eater readers?

I should also mention that, while JDRF researchers have been actively researching a cure using stem cells, James and his family have chosen to send any money they raise toward other research programs that don't involve the use of stem cells, adult or otherwise.

Thanks in advance for any help you may choose to give.  We truly do appreciate it. 

*this post will be sticket to the top of the page all week long to guilt you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, into coughing up.  How could you resist helping a cute little redheaded kid like James?  I don't see how it's possible.  Give early, give generously.