To the Editor,

I am writing to thank you for the article on KEE in the October issue of The Current, but I also want to share a more personal story with your readers. Listening to the news has to be one of the most depressing parts of my day, what with tragic accidents, police and mass shootings, unethical corporate banking and more, but today was a little different! Today, my family and I got some good news.

Many of you know that my son, Kurt (see photos above), has type-1 diabetes. While battling type 1, he also lives daily with celiac disease, esophagus esophagitis, as well as food allergies to gluten, peanuts, eggs, soy and tree nuts! My wife, Jackie, or the school nurse must test his blood sugar 8 to 10 times per day and then he must calculate the amount of insulin to administer to himself and to determine the amount of carbohydrates he may eat. This is a major burden for anyone, never mind a 10-year-old! 

I am glad to announce, if you didn’t see the news report, there is finally a FDA-approved bionic pancreas, a small but amazing piece of modern technology that is a game changer in the life of people with type 1 diabetes. The bionic pancreas, officially the Medtronic MiniMed 670G “artificial pancreas” system, continually monitors the blood sugar levels and then administers the proper amount of insulin needed.

Kurt and our family are very excited even though the bionic pancreas will not be available until the spring of 2017 and can only be used by those age 14 and over. However, the news still leaves us with great enthusiasm and hope. Until now it was all experimental! This is proof that the awareness generated and monies donated to fund this research are leading us in a great direction.

Although Kurt’s daily routine is far from normal, Jackie and I certainly attempt to convince him that this is “his” normal and will be for the rest of his life. Although he usually handles the whole situation like a super hero, at times he struggles like any other human being staring adversity in the eyes.

With our love and support, I hope he realizes there is nothing he cannot achieve and there are no limitations to his success. As his father, I have vowed unwavering devotion to whatever it takes to assist him on his journey. So I am asking you as my family, friends and associates to please help me raise awareness and financial support for the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), a cause I hold very close to my heart.

Kurt Ebinger

This article was originally published in The Island Current’s November 2016 publication.