Families Of Local Students Form Team To Raise Funds For Juvenile Diabetes Research

A group of local students from both Valle and Ste. Genevieve schools and their parents this year formed a team to raise awareness about Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Diabetes Awareness Night took place on October 25 in conjunction with Valle High School’s final regular season home football game.

The team, One Team Fighting T1D, raised $6,493 and made a presentation in that amount during halftime of the game to Kristian Linden, senior development manager for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Student members of One Team Fighting T1D include:

n Kyle Roth, a senior at Valle High School diagnosed on May 25, 2012.

n Mason Brewster, a junior at Valle diagnosed on September 27, 2013.

n Bryce Giesler, a freshman at Valle diagnosed on July 18, 2018.

n Logan Fuller, a freshman at Ste. Genevieve High School diagnosed on September 16, 2015.

n Zach Brake, a freshman at Ste. Genevieve High School diagnosed on May 31, 2016.

n  Sam Kuehn, a fifth-grade student at Valle Elementary School diagnosed on November 3, 2017.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin.

T1D develops when the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. The cause of this attack is still being researched; however, scientists believe the cause may have genetic and environmental components.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that requires constant management 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People with T1D continuously and carefully balance insulin intake with eating, exercise and other activities. They also measure blood-sugar levels through finger pricks, ideally at least six times a day, or by wearing a continuous glucose monitor.

Even with a strict regimen, people with T1D may still experience dangerously high or low blood-glucose levels that can, in extreme cases, be life threatening.

While insulin therapy keeps people with T1D alive and can help keep blood-glucose levels within recommended range, it is not a cure, nor does it prevent the possibility of T1D’s serious effects.

It can be difficult and upsetting. It can be life threatening, and it never goes away. T1D is affected by every bite you eat and every jog you go on. Despite this, people with T1D serve as an inspiration by facing the disease’s challenges with courage and perseverance, and they don’t let it stand in the way of achieving their goals.

(Information in a release from One Team Fighing T1D.)

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