Michele and Christopher David of Michigan were two of the 1500 Diabetes Advocates that went to the US Capitol to urge Washington to fund more money for research to find a cure for Diabetes. Advocates went to DC to present 3.2 million signatures, the largest number ever collected on a health care issue, to urge Congress and President Clinton to budget $1 billion to Diabetes research.
"I've had Diabetes since I was a year old," said Chris, who is now 13. "Having Diabetes is hard sometimes, but I have learned to live with it."
Chris is a Type 1 Diabetic, which means he is insulin dependent. He has to have insulin all the time and keep close eye on his blood sugar level. He has to eat at certain times a day, be careful when he plays sports, and has the inconvenience of having to stop playing like other kids, because of his treatments. He also has to carry a backpack with him where ever he goes filled with food and Diabetic supplies.
Chris looks just as normal as any other person. He plays football, baseball, and video games, but things are not as simple as that. Since Chris was 12 months old, he's had to undergo hundreds of injections, hospital stays, finger picks, and other inconvenient, sometimes frightening things."
"There is a terrible fear in a parent when you have to take your child to the hospital to get their blood sugar stabilized, or watch them have an insulin reaction. It's hard to leave them alone to go to school, play with their friends, or with a babysitter. There is sadness when you have to give them a shot or poke their finger and hear them scream for you to stop. It's a feeling of helplessness when you can't stop what is happening to them," Michele said. Michele is Chris's mother and is a Diabetes advocate. "People with Diabetes can't fight off infection like other people. For this reason, they are prone to worse colds, flu and other illnesses. They also are faced with knowing that any stresses placed on their bodies will cause a reaction," Michele said. "We went to Washington to try to help get more funding for the research of a cure of Diabetes. Right now, there are the injections to help, but these are not a cure. We need a cure," Michele said. "Diabetes is kills one person in our country every three minutes and only 3% of the budget goes to research. The trip and all that we do is for results and also for people awareness. We need to get people to know about Diabetes and how it can effect them."
