Board

I became involved with JDRF through my friendship with the Dittos, who are so personally committed to the cause for a cure. I believe in JDRF because I have seen up close the anguish and hope in the parents I have met who have children with diabetes. Their dedication will surely bring results in the search for a cure.

I don’t have diabetes nor do I know of family members at this time who have to live with this disease, but I would like, in some small way, to be a part of the battle that is being fought by JDRF.

I have not ever been involved with a group that is more organized and determined . . . from the employees of the Mississippi Chapter to the individuals who make up the Board to those members who daily deal with this dreadful disease.

I became involved with JDRF after the life changing day in 2002 when my 5 year old son Will was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Once the initial shock of the diagnosis wore off, our family became committed to working to find a cure for diabetes. JDRF’s commitment to research is the key reason that I feel it is THE diabetes organization that will find a cure. That is my family’s goal – a cure for Will and everyone like him.

After a particularly bad low blood sugar not long after his diagnosis, Will said “Mom, I know why they call it diabetes; it’s because you die from it, right? That’s why they call it die-abetes, right?” I knew then and there that I had to become actively involved in finding a cure for diabetes, and I know that JDRF is the organization that can make that a reality.

In working with JDRF, we have found a community of people who truly understand what it is like to have a child with diabetes. Will can be just like everyone else with his JDRF friends. The support and friendships we have made through our affiliation with JDRF are priceless.

I am committed to helping JDRF Fund a Cure for Diabetes. The fact that JDRF has the singular focus of finding a cure gives me a great deal of clarity when working with the organization to raise money. What a huge opportunity all of us have to participate in the cure for such a horrible disease.