Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

So I’ve decided I’m on a mission… you see I have these two nieces with much the same story.  Kaelyn will be turning 8 this June and Charlotte will be turning 5 in August.  Both girls were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (or juvenile diabetes) around the age of 2 following a GI virus that unknowingly set off a dramatic immune response in their tiny little bodies and attacked their panacreas.  It amazes me to watch both girls deal with a chronic disease at such young ages and breaks my heart at the same time.  I’m busy raising “healthy” twins who are just 7 weeks younger than Charlotte, so I try to imagine walking in my sister’s shoes as she raises Charlotte and contends with her disease daily.  And I’ve also watched in awe as my sister-in-law deals not only with Kaelyn’s diabetes but also a diagnosis of Celiac disease – essentially a gluten allergy, which only complicates matters more.

Each year Charlotte and my sister, Michelle, and Kaelyn and my sister-in-law, Anne sponsor JDRF walk teams in the girls’ honor and raise funds to seek a cure.  Unfortunately my girls, Hannah and Sarah, and I don’t get to join them as we all live in different states.  So this year, I’m on a journey from now until Charlotte’s walk date – 173 days from now- to walk 500 miles – walking in her shoes to raise awareness and hopefully, some money too, for JDRF and a cure.  I’ll chronicle my journey here – I’m not sure where the path will lead but I’m excited to begin.

You can visit my JDRF fundraising page at