Anna Kate's Walk

The Walk
Tomorrow morning at 7:15am Rob and I will load up the kids and head to Indian Springs Park for the Waco/Temple area's 5th JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. We drove down from Keller for the first two walks before we moved here. This walk has become one of our family's favorite traditions.

This JDRF chapter started five years ago shortly after our good friends Martha Kate & Keith Gunn tramatically found out their 9 month old daughter, Anna Kate had diabetes. The Gunns, along with parents of other diabetic children in the area, formed the Waco/Temple chapter of JDRF and soon held a walk after attending the Dallas walk.

Anna Kate was in a coma the night she was diagnosed. At one point the ER doctor told Keith that he didn't know if she would make it. Her blood sugar was in the 1900+ range (no, that is not a typo). It is amazing that she survived with out any major organ or brain damage, let alone just survived. MANY prayers were speeding to heaven for her that night.

Kolby & Anna Kate Age 3 at the 2nd walk.
Everyday since, Anna Kate has endured several shots and multiple finger pricks. Everything that she puts in her mouth has to be counted and monitored. There have been many trips to the hospital and monthly trips to her Doctor in Houston. The shots and diet only control the diabetes.

Because of her disease, Anna Kate's life expectancy is at least 15 years shorter. Because she developed the disease at such a young age, Anna Kate is more likely to develop organ disease and to have complications with reproduction. Anna Kate needs a cure. Her experience has made our entire church and community much more aware of the diabetic struggle which has almost reached an epidemic state in this country.

After dance at age four.
Through it all, Anna Kate's family has done their best to insure she didn't miss out on anything just because she has diabetes. Today, AK is a vibrant, beautiful, athletic, first grader who loves to play outside and read. She has a very sweet spirit and never met an animal she did not like. Anna Kate is a star on her soccer team and on a local competitive Cheer team. To look at her, you would never think that a deadly disease thrives in her little body.

Rather than retreat into depression after her diagnoses, Martha Kate and Keith became very involved in the fight to find a cure for diabetes. They are passionate in their attempts to fund research needed to cure their little girl. They even visited the President in the oval office to talk about stem cell research. I am so proud of how proactive they have become. But make no mistake, having a child with diabetes is heart wrenching.

AK & Kolby age 5 at the 4th walk.
Kolby and Anna Kate were friends before we moved here three years ago. MK and I were college house mates. Now we go to church together. The girls went to preschool and dance together. If you ask Kolby why we walk, she will tell you it is so Anna Kate won't have to take shots everyday. Kolby knows her friend has an illness but we have never made it a scary thing. Kolby always makes sure I make Crystal lite and sugar free jello jigglers when she knows Anna Kate's coming over. Because of her experience with Anna Kate, Kolby also knows about being low, counting carbs, and staying away from things with too much sugar. We are all a lot more aware.

So tomorrow we will put on our "Anna Kates Angels" shirts and head down to the park in the wee hours of the morning. We will help set up, register walkers and teams, and pass out water bottles and snacks. We believe that someday we will hold a walk in celebration of a cure, not to raise money to find one. For Anna Kate and millions of children like her, we pray that celebration comes very soon.

After dancing "Swan Lake" age 6.
Absolutely no pressure... If you would like to donate to the walk, click the following link or cut and paste it to your address bar. Donations accepted anytime, but only at this link until December 2004. The donation page is a secure site.
http://walk.jdrf.org/support.cfm?id=85979683