Dear Family and Friends,
As many of you know Stephanie was diagnosed with
juvenile diabetes in August of 2000 at the age of 7. In the last three years
Stephanie has pricked her fingers over 7665 times to test her sugar levels and
has received over 3285 shots of insulin. That sounds awful, and it is - but it
hasn’t stopped Stephanie from working very hard to educate people around her
about diabetes and raise funds to benefit diabetes research. She mentors other
newly diagnosed children and shares information about diabetes through her
PowerPoint presentations and her web site. Stephanie is brave beyond her years
and more courageous than most adults - but she needs your support to find a
cure. Stephanie is not alone. Over one million people have Type 1 diabetes, thirty-five
children every day are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (that is 1 in every 500
children) and someone is diagnosed every hour.
The day Stephanie was diagnosed was a shock. We went directly from the doctor’s office to the ICU at the hospital and that’s where we stayed for the next 3 days. Those three days were filled with grief, tears and guilt. Stephanie’s pancreas had stopped producing insulin and would never start making it again. The doctors managed to get Stephanie’s blood glucose level under control while we were trained on how to keep her alive by balancing her food, exercise and insulin. We learned how to give injections and calculate carbohydrate servings. Three years later we still have a lot to learn, but Stephanie has taken responsibility for what she needs to do to stay alive. She sticks her fingertips with a needle 7-10 times a day to test her blood, she calculates the number of carbohydrates she is going to eat every time she puts something into her mouth and then makes a life or death decision as to how much insulin that translates into. She stops her activity to have a snack if she is “low” and shaky so she doesn’t pass out. She has a vocabulary of a medical scientist at the age of 10.
Many people think that because Stephanie has insulin she is spared the complications of diabetes. Contrary to that belief, insulin is not a cure. While insulin allows a person with diabetes to stay alive, it does not cure diabetes nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating effects. Diabetes kills one American every three minutes. It is the leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, and non-traumatic amputations, and a major contributor to nerve damage, stroke, and heart attacks.
In the past we have contributed to many diabetes organizations; however, this year we are focusing our efforts on one organization, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The reason we are committed to this organization is its mission, “To Find A Cure For Diabetes”, period. JDRF is the world’s leading nonprofit, nongovernmental funder of diabetes research and was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes. Since inception, JDRF has provided more than $600 million to diabetes research worldwide. In a typical year, 85 cents of every dollar received goes directly to support diabetes research.
On Saturday September 13, 2003 JDRF will be having their annual Walk to Cure Diabetes at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. Our family will again be participating in the Walk as “TEAM STEPHANIE” and we are asking for your support in one of three ways:
1. Join our team and walk with us! The Walk is a fun family event with activities, free food, entertainment and free admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Each walker collects pledges from friends, family and co-workers and receives their very own TEAM STEPHANIE tee shirt. In addition, every walker who collects over $100 will receive a JDRF Walk tee shirt the day of the walk. Or, if you can’t make it to the Walk, then walk with us “in spirit” and send us your pledges made payable to JDRF in the attached envelope. Be sure to mark your registration/sponsor form “TEAM STEPHANIE” so that we know who to thank! You can for the Walk online by clicking here...
Make sure to say you are a "Team Member" and then select Team Stephanie from the list.
2. Distribute this letter to anyone you know, asking them to join us or send a donation, or write a letter of your own to send out.
3. Can’t be with us but would still like to help find a cure? Send a tax-deductible contribution payable to JDRF to us in the attached envelope. Any donation large or small will be greatly appreciated.
Please be sure to indicate “TEAM STEPHANIE” on all registrations/donations/ correspondence so that we know whom to thank and so that JDRF can keep track of where the money came from. Our goal this year is $3285, one dollar for every shot that Stephanie has taken over the last 3 years. Keep in mind that some employers will match your contribution. If yours does, please include your matching gift form in the envelope. Also, please let us know if you need additional pledge/registration forms for family and friends. We have an endless supply.
We continue to be so grateful for your support and thank you for touching our lives in special ways. We hope you will join us in our quest for a cure. Be sure to check Stephanie’s web site at www.setforacure.org for the latest on what she is doing and any last minute information about the Walk. If you have any questions or would like more information contact us at Stephanie@setforacure.org.
Thank you,
Stephanie, Donna, Jeff and Jeffrey Treubig
*** TEAM
STEPHANIE 2002 ***
“Working every day to get one step closer to a cure”
 |
*** TEAM
STEPHANIE 2002 ***
“Working every day to get one step closer to a cure”