Hi!  I’m Hayley!  Welcome to my Website!

Hello friends!  April 29th is "Hayley's Diabetes Day"!

To most of you today is just another day on the calendar, and for our family it used to be a day that would pass like any other, without any of us really giving a thought about the date.  Three years ago today was the day that all of our lives changed forever.  At about 5:30pm on April 29, 2005 Hayley was diagnosed with type one diabetes just a month after her fourth birthday.  It is a day that we will never forget and one that we have celebrated since our first anniversary of this date.  Every year our family is a year stronger, a year closer, and a year closer to a cure for diabetes.  Though diabetes often feels like a curse of the worst magnitude, when I look at how our relationships have evolved and the compassionate people we have become because of it, I realize that today we really do have something to celebrate.

Why am I sending you this to remind you of the day that the world changed for the Johnson's?  Because there has been something that you have said, done, given, or expressed in some way that has made this three year (and counting!) journey more comfortable for one or all of us.  This disease is not easy and though it gets easier as the days tick by and with each injection, each high or low glucose reading, and each endocrinology appointment, it has been easier knowing that we have people that we can talk to when we are excited about research, disappointed in an A1C number, or just having a bad day and feeling sorry for ourselves.  There are those of you who are always willing to commiserate when we need that and those of you that are willing to say, "Life's tough kid, get a helmet" and it all seems to be given at just the right time.  And, there are those of you who have simply be willing to be our friends, and some days that is what we need more than anything else.  Some days, we just needed someone to treat Hayley (and us!) like we were normal, and you have all given that and it means more than words could ever express.

It's hard to believe that it has been three years because three years ago this diagnosis seemed larger than life, something we could not possibly handle.  I know I talked endlessly about my worries and I am sure some of you cringe when you see us coming because you don't want to talk about or hear about or even see anything to do with this disease.  Just know, that you have helped our family, that your presence is part of what allowed for us to conquer diabetes and make it a manageable part of our lives.  Thanks for all of your continued support over the days, weeks, months, or years since you have been introduced to our family and to the world of type one diabetes.

I found this really inspiring video where people afflicted with this disease shared on their hand one word that describes living with diabetes.  I thought you might appreciate it:

Diabetes Awareness Video:  <http://tudiabetes.com/video/video/show?id=583967%3AVideo%3A67666> 

When I asked Hayley what her word would be she said, "crazy".

Happy April 29th!

Ryan, Rachel, Kierstin, Hayley, and Riley

P.S.  If you have a friend, family member, or acquaintance that has been a part of our past April 29th celebrations please pass this note on to them to let them know that they have touched our lives!  Thanks!

My daddy made me a whole store full of cool stuff with my new "Flower Logo" on it!  There is all kinds of things in there that you can buy!  The really nice thing is that everything you buy in the shop will help diabetes doctors because all of the profits went to my JDRF Walk for A Cure fundraising for 2007.

We will do the same thing in 2008 as well.

Click on the Flower Logo to go to my store! 
Make sure to buy something and help my fight!

Thanks!  Hayley

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