So Proud of this Boy

This year we are committing to JDRF again, after taking a couple years off. Caden's school has traditionally raised (50K!!!) for the American Diabetes Association each year for the past five years or more. We let Caden walk with his school and raise money for ADA so he felt included in this huge school event. However, JDRF is the research foundation focuses primarily on finding a CURE for diabets, especially type I. Type I diabetes is not in the person's control, is not related to the person's diet or lifestyle, like Type II usually is. Type I affects kids usually, who can be affected before they can even speak. Caden was diagnosed as a 22 month old baby and although we do want a cure for all diabetes, we are especially passionate about Type I.

And even better, Caden's school is thinking of making the change from ADA to JDRF next year which means 50K directly to research a cure! YEAH!

What's really exciting is some of the new areas of research which would make Caden's life WAY easier and improve his likelihood of living a long and healthy life. One, is the bioartificial pancreas. This would be a device implanted into the body which would act just as a healthy pancreas does, therefore, no more blood sugar worries. Some other things on the horizon are: inhaled insulin, beta cell therapy and a closed loop pump (i.e. the pump would automatically know what to do and would make adjustments on its own!)

So it's very exciting to see that our dollars raised are working!!! Our dream is that one of the breakthroughs mentioned above will be available for Caden before he is off to college. Also, as many of you know the longer you have diabetes the greater the chances for complications (eye problems, kidney failure, etc.) and Caden has had it his entire life. So the sooner the better!

Thank you for considering our cause. If you would like to donate to his walk fund his personal page is listed here!