A year ago, Cameron was an eight year old little boy. Looking at him, he didn't stand out in a crowd. A good student that enjoyed spending time in the woods with grandpa, riding bikes with his friends and that lived for soccer. Just an average ordinary eight year old. April 2013 though, that all changed. Cameron got sick. At first, it was just a stomach bug, but instead of getting better, the days passed and Cameron grew sicker, until one night that full of life little boy was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. The diagnosis was quickly made, Cameron had Type 1 diabetes. His blood sugar was at 1039...blood sugar ranges in the 90s is where it should have been. Throughout the night, the numbers miraculously went down. That morning brought new challenges to this little boy so full of life. He began to learn about insulin, blood sugar, and was forced to become a math whiz, whether he wanted to or not. He learned a new vocabulary of lantus shots and carb counts. The doctors said he would be in the hospital for a week, but Cameron was not to be kept down that long. He recovered enough and was sent home within a couple days. He returned to the soccer field having not had to miss a single game. But the normal life he had previously known was no longer his. Meals couldn't be skipped or delayed. Snacks had to be timed, no longer consuming anything just because he was hungry. He couldn't attend the after school program that he had gone to for years. Birthday parties, or even just a night at a friends house involved a parent tagging along or extensive education of the friends parents that would care for him. To make things even more complicated, in June Cameron was also diagnosed with Celiac disease, a disease where his body does not tolerate gluten. So the breads, cakes, cookies and pasta that kids love became on a forbidden foods list. There are alternatives, but it isn't easy. And through it all, Cameron has continued to love soccer, do well in school (probably could do better than most high schoolers at math in their heads!) and just try to be as average of a kid as he can. And he never complains, even when he can't have seconds, as everyone around him pigs out. As he goes from feeling great to incredibly low blood sugar in a matter of minutes. We all think it, but never hear Cameron say it, but it isn't fair.
This May, the juvenile Diabetes Research foundation of the ozarks is holding a fundraising walk for a cure, to raise money to find a cure, not just management, for this cruel disease. Will you support kids like Cameron by making a donation? Because it's not just an inconvenience when you have diabetes, it's a roller coaster ride with the illness in charge. It still takes lives of children.
To make a donation, please go to walk.jdrf.org and search for team Cameron in missouri. Cameron thanks you!
