Lea

From her mother, Katherine:

Lea was diagnosed on July 10, 2000. She has lived with all of the ups and downs for 25 years. On that day we were told that there would be a cure for diabetes within 5 years. Unfortunately, that cure has not come and so many children are being diagnosed. The numbers at the hospital tripled that summer. There have been no rewards for the incredible amount of work and dedication it takes to survive other than survival itself, until this award. It is greatly appreciated. Something to hold that says, “You have worked very hard to survive for 25 years and you deserve a medal.”

When Lea was diagnosed we told her that she was going to do everything that she would have done if this had never happened to her and she did that and even more. Our family did even more. Lea is married with two children, Eve and Bry and is the proud owner of a grass fed, organic dairy farm near Cooperstown, NY. She and her husband, Bryce, work very hard and receive awards for the milk that their cows produce. The work is very physical but she manages to do everything while managing her blood sugar levels. Lea’s journey to making her and her husband’s dreams come true began a short time after her diagnosis.

Lea loved the animals on her grandfather’s farm and owned a few Registered Brown Swiss which she showed at county fairs and the NYS Fair. When she was diagnosed we decided that we needed to bring her animals to our home and her Dad built a farm for her and her sisters to be able to take care of their own heifers that they showed at the fairs. We spent many years traveling from fair to fair and staying in our little motor home. Lea learned everything she could about showing and fitting dairy cattle and even worked for other farms at the fairs.

When she was in high school she, joined the FFA and was the VP and President. She traveled to the National FFA convention in Louisville, Kentucky every year and also into college. As her 2 younger sisters became old enough, she took them along. She decided to pursue a career in Agricultural at Cobleskill Ag and Tech and received her Bachelor’s degree. Lea earned her Empire degree and her American degree with the FFA and decided to continue her education at Virginia Tech for Ag Education and received her Master’s degree.

For the next few years she worked for NYS Farm Bureau and Elonco, both being positions that kept her on the road, traveling farm to farm. A great job for meeting people but not really good for starting a family. Lea and Bryce were married in June of 2016 and bought a house. Little did they know that a year later they would be making their dreams come true. Lea was away from home almost all week, so she took a leap of faith and left her job. They leased a farm down the road, bought their cows and started their own farm.

About a year later their first baby girl was born. This wasn’t easy as Lea had pre-eclampsia and they had to stay in the hospital for eight days. That summer they brought their own farm and moved in with all their cattle. A little less than two years later Lea and Bryce completed their family with a little boy. The farm has grown with all of their hard work and good management and the children are in school. It may seem that Lea should have more time to herself but she is always busy with the kids or improving the farm.

And all of this time she has been managing this roller coaster ride called diabetes. Diabetes was a game changer but it never stopped Lea from reaching her dreams and it never will. This was the big picture but there was so much more, so many more goals that she met on a daily basis. She has an amazing story. Thank you for the opportunity to receive this award and recognizing her fight to survive.