My 6-year-old daughter, Analyn, is tough as nails. She’s received more than 1,200 insulin injections and finger pricks since she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes seven months ago. By the time she’s 18 years old, Analyn will have endured more than 24,000 injections and finger pricks.

Shots and finger pricks are not how I envisioned her childhood.

The beginning of our family’s experience with Type 1 diabetes began on Presidents Day. My wife, Kristi, had taken Analyn to the pediatrician thinking she had a simple urinary tract infection.

She had spent the past several days guzzling water, going to the bathroom five or six times a night and sleeping most of the weekend. They were at the pediatrician’s office for about 10 minutes before the doctor told Kristi to rush Analyn to Primary Children’s Hospital immediately.

Analyn never flinched during her first injections and she never complained or cried during the three days we spent at Primary Children’s getting her diabetes under control and learning how to manage it. She was strong and brave, and I was proud as hell.

Kristi and I weren’t nearly as brave. She stayed with Analyn at the hospital the first night and I spent most of my drive home to Layton crying – bawling really. I stayed with Ana the second night and Kristi said she too spent the drive crying.

I kept asking myself why I was devastated by her diagnosis. Ana was safe and we were learning how to keep her healthy. That 4 a.m. emergency call over the intercom wasn’t for her. There were children struggling far worse than she was, and parents grieving far more than I.

Two months later, after we’d emerged from the whirlwind of learning blood tests and insulin injections; I had an epiphany about why her diagnosis devastated me. My daughter lost her childhood when she was diagnosed with T1D.

She will never enjoy a candy bar, or attend a birthday party, with the same carefree attitude a little child should. She will always worry about her fluctuating blood sugar levels, and must be disciplined and structured for the rest of her life. It’s necessary to make sure she stays healthy.

T1D occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Without insulin, glucose stays in the blood and quickly damages the body’s other organs. Poorly treated, it can lead to blindness, loss of nerve function or even early death.

People with T1D must undergo multiple injections per day, or have insulin delivered through an insulin pump, and test their blood sugar by pricking their fingers for blood six or more times a day.

They must also carefully balance their food choices and exercise to regulate blood sugar levels to avoid hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) reactions, which can be life threatening.

There is nothing Kristi and I want more than to see Analyn enjoy a happy, quality life; one where she grows into adulthood with few complications and can experience the joy of raising a family of her own.  We understand the bulk of this responsibility falls on us and Analyn, as she gets older, to manage, monitor and treat her diabetes successfully.

However, there are physiological and psychological factors that can make successful management difficult, which is why breakthroughs in ongoing diabetic research, like the artificial pancreas, smart insulin and implantable beta cells are so important. These breakthroughs will improve the quality of life for diabetics and ultimately save lives.

So I’m asking for your help to raise money for diabetes research.  JDRF is the leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research.  The Utah Chapter will host its two annual Walks to Cure Diabetes this Saturday (at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City) and NEXT Saturday (at the Shops at Riverwoods in Provo). My family will be walking at Liberty Park and we hope YOUR family will join us as well. Registration for both events starts at 8 a.m., and the run/walk will begin at 9:30 a.m.  JDRF needs YOU to be involved in fundraising for the Walk to help ensure that research is allowed to continue.

The JDRF Walk is a meaningful way to raise money for critically needed T1D research and to show support for the millions of people affected by the disease. As I’m sure you know, WALKING (in and of itself) does NOT cure T1D – FUNDRAISING does.  To register and begin a fundraising campaign, or to learn more, visit http://walk.jdrf.org.  If you like, you can also donate to our team, Team Analyn at http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/teamanalyn.

About the Author:
Nathan Schwebach is the director of public relations at ThomasARTS, a full service advertising firm in Farmington, Utah, and the father of three. He is also a member of the board of directors for JDRF’s Utah chapter.