Alaina

From her mom, Sarah:

At the age of 7.5, Alaina began experiencing symptoms that seemed unrelated until on St. Patrick’s Day, 3/17/2014, she was taken to the ER and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. She was constantly thirsty, had no energy, was losing weight, and said she felt like she had “bees in her fingers.” After three days in the hospital, she was released and we began our journey of managing T1D. Less than five months later, she was also diagnosed with Celiac disease. Both of these diseases are challenging to live with on a daily basis, but she perseveres through it all. We remember hearing about the Journey Award about five years into her diagnosis. We always wondered what life would be like at the 10 Year Journey mark, and while there are still challenges along the way, the 10 Year Journey Award is a wonderful way to recognize what she has been through and look ahead to the next 10 years. She is in the home stretch of her Senior year of HS and doing well. My great uncle was 7.5 years old when he died of diabetes in 1917, before insulin was available as a treatment. We have a copy of his death certificate and try to remember daily to be thankful we live in a time and place where we have access to technology, insulin, and gluten free food so that she live a happy and healthy life. Thank you for offering a 10 Year Journey Award to those suffering with this disease.