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NOVEMBER 2016
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live / e x c e p t i o n a l l i v e s a melie, daughter of
alysia
evans, was diagnosed with
type
1 diabe- tes when she was almost a year old. she is now 14, and both she and her family have learned a lot about the disease since her diagno- sis.
type
1
diabetes
is an autoimmune disease that can affect both tackling
type
1
diabetes
?e biggest struggle for amelie is she has been living with it for almost 13 years, and she just wants a break, but with
type
1
diabetes
, you can?t take a break. by madeline rathle a positive outlook however,
alysia
knows that parents can turn this into a positive experi- ence for their children.
alysia
is the development manager at jdrf where she handles outreach with local hospitals and runs one walk, a fundraiser for
diabetes
research.
alysia
says, ?my favorite part of my job is meeting newly diagnosed families and being a support system to let them know it?s going to be alright. ?eir child can live a normal life. i also love going out to the schools to talk to the kids and edu- cate them about
type
1
diabetes
, warning signs, and symptoms.?
alysia
has always done everything she can to encourage amelie and support her. ?i tell amelie that she was given this disease because god knew she could handle it, and she is such an inspiration to everyone around her,? says
alysia
. ?she handles it with such grace and hardly complains.? by sharing their stories, children who live with
type
1
diabetes
can impact others and help make a difference. to the future ?e past few years have brought some great changes to jdrf. ?e organization helped fund the first ?artificial pancreas,? which was just approved by the fda. ?ey have also been involved in funding smart insulin and encapsulation. and there is much hope for more accom- plishments in the future. ?i definitely think a cure is possible, and it will happen!? says
alysia
. ??at is what pushes me to work so hard for amelie and everyone living with
type
1
diabetes
. i can?t wait to lose my job because that means we found a cure.? ?e jdrf research mission is to discover, develop, and deliver advances that cure, better treat, and prevent
type
1
diabetes
. amelie and her mother will continue their part to push for change and a cure. ? tackling
type
1 children and adults. it can appear suddenly and at any age and is thought to be genetically or environmentally motivated. a big change when young children are diagnosed with this disease, it can be extremely difficult and stressful. ?we had to learn how to give insulin injections and count carbs,? says
alysia
. ?we would constantly worry because she would suffer with low blood sugar and couldn?t communicate with us.? amelie would also occasionally suffer from seizures, so the family had a lot of adjusting to do. ?you worry when your child isn?t with you. you worry when they have a sleepover that their sugar might drop low in the middle of the night,? says
alysia
. ?it?s a constant worry with no days off. ?e biggest struggle for amelie is she has been living with it for almost 13 years, and she just wants a break, but with
type
1
diabetes
, you can?t take a break.? 54 brparents.com | november 2016
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