To most of you April 29th 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. But for us, April 29th 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 we look at how our relationships have evolved and the compassionate people we have become because of it, we realize that today we really do have something to celebrate.
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.
We found this really inspiring video where people afflicted with this disease shared on their hand one word that describes living with diabetes. We thought you might appreciate it:
Diabetes Awareness Video: <http://tudiabetes.com/video/video/show?id=583967%3AVideo%3A67666>
When we asked Hayley what her word would be she said, “crazy”. How appropriate is that!
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!
