Big News!

You are looking at a delegate for the 2009 JDRF Children's Congress!

At the end of June Rachel, and I her chaperone, will be traveling to Washington D.C. with the other 149 delegates from all 50 states and meet with Congress to discuss type 1 diabetes related issues...money for research, stem cell issues etc.

As a delegate she will also be responsible for media spots here in Idaho as well as other local responsibilities.

We are so excited for her and this great opportunity.

Here is a portion of her application letter...

Dear Member of Congress,

My name is Rachel Hansen. I am 11 years old and I have Type 1 diabetes. I was 14 months old when I was diagnosed with this disease. I don’t remember what it is like to not have diabetes. My parents don’t remember either.

In the 10 years that I have been fighting this disease I have had to prick my fingers over 29,000 times to check my blood sugar. The tops of my fingers are so hard now that I really don’t feel the prick anymore, but sometimes I have to try more than one finger because it’s so hard to get the blood out. I also had more than 4,000 shots before I got an insulin pump six years ago—now I only have to get poked once every 2 or 3 days when my mom changes the catheter. It’s better than the shots, but it still hurts and is hard for me to do, so my brother, Luke, squeezes my hand and counts to three to help me out.

I can do most of the things other kids my age do, but it’s a lot harder for me. I play soccer, but I have to come off the field to check my blood sugar a lot and sometimes I get feeling really shaky and sick and have to sit out for a long time. After games it can take hours for me to get back on track. I am also on the swim team, but it’s tough because I have to take my pump off while I swim and often end up getting too high. It’s almost impossible to keep your blood sugars where they’re supposed to be when you do any activity.

At school I go to the nurse 3 times a day to check my blood sugar. I miss a lot of class time and sometimes miss important things the teacher has to say. I also miss out on a lot of recess and spending time playing with my friends. Here in Boise there are no Pediatric Endocrinologists, so we have to travel 370 miles to Primary Children’s Hospital in Utah so I can get the care I need.

I know taking care of diabetes is a lot better than it used to be, but I wish we had a cure. I am tired of pricking my fingers and many times having to wait to eat until my blood sugar comes down. I want to be able to hang out with friends and not have to say no to all the treats they get to eat. I want to be a normal kid.

We have had a lot of people with diabetes in our family. My great-grandfather had type 1 and my grandpa and his brother were both diagnosed with type 1 when they were about 25 years old. I was so little when I started getting sick that it took a long time for the doctors to figure out what was wrong with me. The pediatrician thought I was just teething or had strep throat and I almost died. I’m lucky I have an uncle who is a doctor and recognized the symptoms—he saved my life. People need to know what diabetes really is and how it changes your life.

My family and I try to help people understand this disease and why we need a cure. When we lived in Houston, my mom and I would travel to our state capital to tell my representatives why it is important, we put together a walk at my school and have participated in walks and other things to raise money for research. I have learned from my grandpa how important it is to be involved and let people know how important a cure is. We have been in Boise for just a year, but can tell that there is a lot of work to be done to make people aware. I hope they hear me.

When my brother Jonah says his prayers he prays that I won’t have diabetes anymore. I pray for that too. I know that someday there will be a cure. I know that there can be in my lifetime, and I hope that there is before my brothers or anyone else in my family has to live with this terrible disease. Please support me and my family and all of the other kids living with this disease by helping us get the money that is needed to find a cure and STOP juvenile diabetes—no just try to make it easier for us to live with.

Sincerely,

Rachel Hansen