Walk to a Cure (Warning: Long Post)

41 people came out to support our team!

Rufus wasn't too far away!

Kacey & Madison...Our Sweeties!

Whew...what a journey the last 3 months have been! When we first came home from the hospital, we knew we wanted to get involved and be a part of raising money to find a cure. Since we chose the team name 3 months ago, we have been working hard to get sponsors and having bakes sales.

This week was full of excitement, worry and stress....but I didn't let that get in the way of a beautiful day! We had the radio interview, the newspaper article, the shirt dilemma and in between all the things that needed to be done to get ready for today.

My day began at 5:30am. Beep! Beep! Beeeeeep! I rolled over and shut the alarm off and then pulled the covers back up til 5:45am. I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. I smiled and let out a small sigh...today was the BIG DAY! Today was the day that we were going to walk...holding our heads high....knowing that we gave 100% in raising money to find a cure for this terrible disease called...DIABETES. I quietly got out of bed...washed my face...brushed my teeth...got dressed...and turned the computer on. Last chance to check and see what we raised.....OMG! OMG! OMG! We made our goal! We had set the goal at $500 to start with...then we raised it to $1000... then we went up to $1300. I wasn't sure if we'd make that goal or not, but I was hopeful! I sat here and watched the little ticker move...stars popped...OMG! We were now at $1415! If you had asked me 3 months ago if we'd raise that I would of said... I doubt it! But there it was...the goal was met! I smiled and turned the computer off. I woke the girls up...Kays best friend arrived at 7:30am....we left the house at 7:45am....picked up Kays boyfriend by 8am....and we were on our way! As I pulled into the parking lot of the school, I got butterflies! The excitement was building and I could barely contain myself. I looked over at Kacey and the smile on her face made my heart cry with joy. Mom & Brian met us there early and we got everything set up and ready to go! By 9am, our friends started to arrive! Each one greeted us with a smile...a prayer for no rain....and more donations began to roll in. I couldn't believe how generous everyone was giving! God IS good :) Ask and you shall recieve...yep I asked....and we were receiving! Before long, we had "Diabetes Sweeties" running around everywhere! We had a total of 41 people.... moms, dads, sisters, brothers, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends (new and old) ...there they were...taking time out of their daily life to walk for our daughter. I stood there looking around for a moment trying to choke back tears. Why was I wanting to cry? Ohhhh for so many reasons! Everything we'd worked so hard for had finally come together, we met our goal and were now exceeding it by leaps and bounds, Kacey was sitting on good blood sugar numbers despite the excitement she was having, and everyone was pitching in to make this moment a memorable one for Kacey. Yep...I had a reason to cry...but I held the tears back and smiled! While there, we talked to pump reps, glucose meter reps, complete strangers that shared stories with us ...and most of all people that welcomed us with open arms to the "Diabetes Community". We actually felt "normal". As you looked around, you could see people bolusing for snacks, shots being given, blood sugars tested and we really did feel comfortable!

The walk began at 10am. As we walked the nature trail, Kacey smiled and giggled with her cousin...I watched people on our team carrying on conversations...and I made friends with 2 Moms that are parents of 2 boys from Kacey's class. These 2 Moms didnt know me...they didnt know Kacey... but one of them has a niece in CA with Type 1 and the other just felt it was important to show her son how much he needed to support his friends. That mother went on to share with me how she'd talked to her son about how sick Kacey can get...how he whines about getting a flu shot yet Kacey takes 4-6 a day...and how he felt like he needed to come out and walk with Kacey today. Talk about feeling touched! It says alot about a person when they share something like that with you. So we're walking along and Kacey starts getting tired...we thought the walk was a mile...LOL well it was a mile ONE WAY...yep so we walked 2 miles :) Kacey tested her sugar along the way and she was falling so she grabbed a snack and kept going! Over the course of the walk...our team spread out and some walked faster than others. Kacey and I were one of the final ones from our team to come across the line...moreso because I wanted everyone to be waiting there for her when we finished. As Kacey and I crossed the finish line, I was a bit overwhelmed! I was forced to choke back tears again :( After all the hugs were done we got some lunch...joined in the raffle...and socialized some more! We stayed til the last of our team members told us goodbye and then we packed things up. Mom took all the donations with her so she could count everything up to send in to Lori.

While we were driving home, Mom called me to give me the total.... nearly $650.........WHAT?!?! OMG!!! $1415.... plus $650.... HOLY COW!!! Thats nearly $2100 ~faints~ I excitedly told Kacey and all of a sudden she began to sob. I hung the phone up and pulled the car over. Yep...she was crying real tears... I ended up in tears... and I still didnt know why she was crying. I got her settled down enough to ask her why she was crying? "Mommy, they gave all that money to find a cure for me! Its happy tears!" Well that just made me cry even harder :( "Yep, there were alot of people out there today that love you very much and that shows how much they care!" The rest of the ride home was pretty silent...both of us still sitting with tears streaming.

I just cant express how thankful I am for all the donations and to all the people that showed up...even with the weatherman calling for 80% chance of rain! All of you made this a day to remember! We are still getting more donations rolling in and I will have a final total soon :)

THANK YOU!

~*~JILL~*~