Individuals | Life for a Child with Diabetes

The Life for a Child Program can count on the support of individual donors and their families in a number of countries. Most of these donors contribute on a 'dollar-a-day' (or a local equivalent) basis.

Here is the account of one family that is currently supporting Life for a Child: 

A Mother’s Instinct, a Brother’s Love

Three years ago our family was admitted to an exclusive club we absolutely never wanted to join, when I diagnosed my then 7 year old son Jake with type 1 juvenile diabetes. 

Despite my husband’s impeccable medical credentials, mother’s intuition overruled. After just one weekend of Jake presenting with the classic symptoms of irritability and extreme thirst, I knew it wasn't our average, hot summer day. He was diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes… for life -- unless a cure is found. 

Life with diabetes is no picnic. Some 4.000 injections each year is more than any adult should have to bear, much less a child. 

They say first you cry. They are indeed correct. But then, no differently than we attack the multi-tasking nature of everything else in a two-kid-two-career-4-sport(!) household -- off we went into overdrive. 

Jake's then ten year old brother Daniel was away at summer camp when he was diagnosed. When he stepped off that bus he immediately noticed Jake was wearing something he surely wasn't wearing when he departed -- a medical alert bracelet that read "diabetic". 

First Daniel cried. Then he too went into overdrive. A camp friend also had type 1 and he proclaimed "don't worry Beezer, I will help take care of you. "Despite his own fear of needles and total lack of knowledge about this disease, at the young age of 10 Daniel set out to be diabetes worst enemy. 

Both Daniel and Jake became immediately adept at managing everything from calculating the insulin ratios, to learning emergency procedures. Jake was declared the youngest child ever to administer his own shots at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. And thanks to his own fortitude and the participation of our "village" Jake’s normalcy has been maintained! He's still the spunky, straight-A, swimmer and lacrosse player he always was. But with a condition that requires painstakingly accurate management for literally every morsel of food he eats. 

But their work had only just begun. Our kids were determined to fundraise. Because the cure is truly so close. 

Given the incredible bond between our sons we aptly named our fundraising team "Brotherly Love" and quickly became the award winning largest walk team in Mercer County, New Jersey -- the team that raised the most money -- and the team that showed up with family pets dressed in Brotherly Love garb to walk the walk! Some 200-plus strong our village was showing their support. 

But Daniel felt strongly that fundraising should really be called "FUN-raising" and that while adults were off soliciting corporate donations for our First Golf and Tennis Open, the kids weren't in the game. Enter "Dollars for Diabetes." 

Our kids realized that virtually everyone could donate a dollar. And that they had the comfort zone to ASK everyone for a dollar. And into overdrive they went. They created a logo -- sought permission from retailers all over Princeton New Jersey to display their collection buckets and permits to FUN-raise outside of retailers like WaWa -- they stormed sports fields of every kind imaginable dressed in Brotherly Love t-shirts and hats -- this incredible show of love and philanthropy was quickly recognized by our community leaders. Daniel recruited a committee of kids via email to serve as his lieutenants. The kid’s efforts and maturity caught the eye of a family friend who offered to be their adult advisor, who then secured dollar-for-dollar matching funds for every buck the children raised! They got empty pretzel buckets donated from the Utz Company. Our local detective volunteered his time to protect all of the door prizes donated for the tournament, soda companies donated sugar free drinks and Godiva donated sugar free chocolate bars. 

Word of Daniels utter selflessness on behalf of Jake spread quickly. The local Lions Club presented him with an award for extraordinary achievement which was bestowed upon him by his favorite teacher who likened his business acumen to Bill Gates at just 14. 

All in, the fun-raising team of Brotherly Love raised $16,000 all by themselves. To date all of our efforts have totaled over $300,000. 

I think about Daniel’s closing comments that night in honor of Jake. He said "nothing would make me happier than to cancel this event next year -- that would mean we would have found a cure." 

Our goal is to spread the word of Brotherly Love and get “Dollars for Diabetes” going nationally and internationally. 

Deborah Fine is the mother of a son with type 1 diabetes (Jake) and like her son Daniel, is a tireless advocate for diabetes. She lives in the United States.