Local JDRF Family Spotlight: The Shields Family
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and JDRF is raising awareness all month long. We will be highlighting type 1 diabetes (T1D) stories throughout the month. Our first spotlight is on the Shields family (father Greg, mother Amy, sons Alex and Danny) whose son Danny was just diagnosed this summer. Read more below to find out what JDRF means to them.
What is your T1D connection?
Our son, Danny, was diagnosed with T1D on June 30, 2017.
Tell us about your loved one living with T1D.
Danny is in second grade at Hallowell Elementary School in Hatboro. Most importantly, he is twin brother to Alex (Alex is 10 minutes older). Danny loves to swim, play video games with Alex, wrestle with Dad, and build with blocks, Legos or anything that stacks. Danny is hilariously funny, and was even telling jokes to the doctors and nurses in the ER when he was diagnosed with T1D. He continues to amaze us with his emotional and physical strength through this unexpected journey.
How has JDRF’s Outreach support made a difference for you and your family?
JDRF has helped us as a family in many ways. I heard about the Bag of Hope when we were in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, so I looked it up online when we were discharged from the hospital. I filled out the online JDRF survey and clicked “No” on the question that read – “Do you want someone from JDRF to contact you?” Thank goodness I got that call from JDRF Outreach Manager CarlaAnn Henry just to “make sure” I didn’t want any help. We felt very scared and alone once we were home and were still trying to wrap our heads around the situation. CarlaAnn was very comforting and a wealth of information. She even put Greg in touch with another local dad of a T1D. After receiving the Bag of Hope, and learning more about JDRF and its mission, we put together a JDRF One Walk team for Bucks County – Danny’s Dynamos. We had a great deal of help from local parents of T1D children who were very friendly and willing to help us. We want to extend special thanks to Amy and Ed Butterworth, Mindy DeSimone and Fred McCarthy — all local parents of T1D children who shared their time and stories with us. We are lucky to now call them friends.
Why did you decide to get involved with JDRF (One Walk, Kids Walk, Gala, Ride to Cure Diabetes, and/or any other JDRF activity)?
When we put Danny’s Dynamos together, we envisioned our immediate family as the entire team and raising $500. By Walk Day, we had 46 members on our team and raised over $6,000. Fundraising for Danny’s Dynamos was so much fun for us as a family and helped us focus on the positives, such as meeting wonderful people from JDRF and parents who know how we feel. It brought comfort to Danny knowing that so many other kids are also fighting this battle. We started our One Walk team late since we were diagnosed so recently, and we tried to think of quick fundraising ideas. We are in a cover band called Mojo and the Helper Monkeys; with the support of the other Helper Monkeys, Eli Bockol and Peter Suanlarm, we decided to record any song request for a $25 donation to the team. Not all of them are winners, but it was a unique fundraiser that helped us raise money quickly. Danny and Alex even made their musical debut in a few of them. We were asked by JDRF to perform at another JDRF One Walk, and we chose One Walk Reading on October 15; we had an amazing time meeting even more families in our situation and wonderful JDRF team members.
What would you tell another newly diagnosed family about JDRF?
Get in touch with JDRF! They will help you transition into this new life that you will be leading. They show you that this is just a new wrinkle in your life – and it is manageable. They will introduce you to local families who know how you feel and are fighting right there along with you to eliminate this unfair disease.
Join the Shields family in supporting your local JDRF One Walk. There is still time to support your local JDRF One Walk by making a personal donation or reaching out to your network to share your T1D story and how their donations will help us turn Type One into Type None!