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August 29th, 2008
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As we prepare for the upcoming JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, I'm reminded of a conversation I had with Charlie when he was 3, just prior to our second walk.

"We walk and we raise money so that there can be a cure for diabetes," I explained to him. He looked at me blankly, clearly confused.

"Can you buy me something at Toys 'R Us with the money?"

"No. The money is for a cure."

"What's a cure?" he asked.

"We raise money so that maybe someday the doctors will be able to take diabetes away. Maybe someday you won't have diabetes anymore. That would mean no shots and no more testing your blood sugar."

I thought my little pep talk would make Charlie excited and hopeful. Instead, a wave of panic washed over him. Not the reaction I was expecting.

He got very upset at the thought of no longer having diabetes and even cried when I suggested he wouldn't have to test his blood sugar if there was a cure.

"Keep testing!," he sobbed.

He did eventually admit that he'd like to do away with the shots, but the idea of no more testing scared the hell out of him.

Testing his blood sugar was a routine he had done thousands of times since he was just a baby. It was like his magic 8 ball, telling him when it was safe to sleep or time to eat or when he should stay seated on the couch until the dizziness subsided.

Last year we had another talk just prior to the walk.

"So, when I finish the walk there will be a cure?" he asked optimistically.

Oh, Charlie, I wish it worked that way.

Imagine how fast we'd all be sprinting to the finish line.



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Imagine how fast, C.

I know how Charlie feels. The prospect of a cure is both thrilling and chilling - (I'm in an October kind of word-mood today...) After 25 years of this, I wonder if I'd be able to trust a cure - or if I'd fall back into the 12-13 time a day testing routine...


That is the one thing I feel lucky about when it comes to my diabetes. That it didn't develop until later in life when I was able to handle it on my own terms and after seeing what life without diabetes was like.
Speed through that walk! Thanks for doing your part!


If that worked, I'd be running with you all the way to the start line wherever it might be. Thanks Carey for another great post.


The sweetness of Charlie and the mind of a child is really remarkable sometimes. This post makes me sad, for Charlie, for all kids with type 1 and all the adults like myself who were kids once, too, and continue living with the disease years later. I can't imagine not testing my bloodsugar, either, actually. Charlie's words make sense.

If only it really DID work that way...


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Carey Potash
Carey is a full-time hater of diabetes. The benefits stink. His 6-year-old son, Charlie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 22 months old. Carey's parenting humor has appeared in various websites and print magazines. He resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and three children. (Read More)

Latest Posts: Playing with Fire | Scared | Inconceivable!

Julia
Julia lives behind the Tofu Curtain, in the Pioneer Valley, in Western Massachusetts. It's a nice place. She likes it there. Her eldest daughter, Olivia, has type 1 diabetes. She's also 13. It's a real toss-up as to which is more difficult -- the diabetes or the teen-age drama. (Read More)

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