Our walk letter!

Dear Friends and Family:

As many of you know, our 5 year old son Luke was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes on November 24th, 2008. He will be insulin-dependent for the rest of his life. Since then, Luke’s day revolves around blood sugar tests eight to ten times a day which consists of a finger prick then multiple daily injections. His food intake is also counted each time he eats to measure the amount of insulin he receives for each meal. This has been quite a process for Luke and surely not pleasant for any 5 year old to have to endure. Luke is always a trooper and rarely complains. As you’ve seen, he is full of smiles, laughs, and five-year-old mischief, amidst his daily diabetes routine. Luke continually amazes us and is a blessing to have in our lives as a daily reminder of spirit, humility, and a positive attitude.

Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys certain cells in the pancreas. Insulin cannot be produced and the glucose stays in the blood instead. If insulin is not given it can cause serious damage to all the organ systems of the body. People with Type 1 Diabetes must take insulin in order to stay alive. Scientists do not yet know exactly what the causes are, but they believe that, genetic and environmental factors are involved.

There are many devastating diseases in our world right now, and that saddens us. The difference with juvenile diabetes is that wiping it out of existence is extremely attainable and within reach. Luke often asks us, “When is my diabetes going to go away?” It’s a painful question to answer looking at his beaming and hopeful eyes. We feel confident a positive answer will be available before he goes to high school.

Please understand, we are not trying to have a pity session. We truly believe that out of every difficulty comes something good. As parents, it’s our instinct from the moment our kids are born to protect them from any harm. We must do everything in our power to help find a cure for him. It’s our mission to avoid the heart and kidney disease, blindness, amputation, and early death that is a reality for many people with juvenile diabetes.

Luke will never outgrow Type 1 Diabetes; the only solution is a cure. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the #1 non-profit funder of diabetes research worldwide. One of JDRF’s largest fundraising events is the “Walk to Cure Diabetes.” This year, we have formed a team named “Luke and the Jedi Knights” .This year’s walk will be held on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at Tempe Town Lake.!

If you are interested, there are two ways you can help us make a difference for Luke:
* Make a tax deductible contribution in support of “Luke and the Jedi Knights” ( cash or checks made out to JDRF). If you want to mail them, contact me at BearTT27@cox.net for a mailing address. You can also make an online donation by visiting http://www.walk.jdrf.org/. Type in “Luke and the Jedi Knights” under team name and choose Arizona as the state. This will take you to a donation page. Any donation large or small is greatly appreciated!
*Come walk in support of Luke on October 31st and be an active participant on our team. All we request is that you register ( again at http://www.walk.jdrf.org-/ and look for our team), collect money from folks you know, including yourself, and then join us for a fun day at the Walk.

We greatly appreciate your consideration and support of this most worthy cause. We look forward to having as many people as possible join us on October 31st. Even if you can’t join us on the walk, we appreciate any and all donations made to Luke and the Jedi Knights as part of our overall fundraising.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, please don’t hesitate to call or write us. I will not put our phone or address on this blog, but you can always post with a comment and email address and we will be happy to get back to you! Again, thank you from all of us for your generous support of Luke.

The Larsons,
Barry, Tara, Wyatt, Luke and Reese.

P.S. We will be getting team t-shirts, so if you do plan on joining, please join soon, so we know how many t-shirts to order! Thank you!!

P.P. S. If you want to learn more about Luke, please check out his you tube video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Rr-_fW3FI