Your Help is Needed

All of you, who know me well, who have visited this blog often as well as my website, and who have read my newsletter know that I was never able to have children. Though my husband and I tried every recourse from fertility medication to artificial insemination, we had to come to terms with the fact that children of our own was not in our future.

I was so lucky though to have two wonderful nieces to whom I could spoil and love. Debbie, who is the oldest of the two, is the focus of this note. That's her and I, pictured above, at her wedding.

Our family has had, in the last couple of years, struggles that have shaken us to the very core. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, my husband had coronary artery bypass surgery, my brother-in-law was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and my youngest niece, Pam, was diagnosed with Grave's disease. However, Debbie's family was dealt the worst deal of all. Not only was Debbie herself recently diagnosed with diabetes, but both of her young children as well. When her youngest, Hayden, was diagnosed with diabetes she was told that the chances were very, very slim that her other child, Elisabeth, would be diagnosed with diabetes as well. However, it was just within a few short months that Elisabeth became another Juvenile Diabetes victim.

I just this evening received the following e-mail from Debbie and hope that you will all let her message into your hearts and minds. Look to your young children and be so grateful that they are healthy...something we all used to take for granted, but no longer do. Please help her and my family reach this one small goal. Thank you....from the bottom of my heart.

And here is her message:

Support Steve & Debbie Couch in the 2010 Walk to Cure Diabetes

This is the last email to remind you about our walk in Military Park in Indianapolis for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. We are trying to raise $2000 and we have $75 so far. If you could please help us raise more money please visit our site and place a donation. If you know of someone else who would like to donate please forward this on. We only have till the end of this week to raise more money. Thanks so much!

Both of our children were diagnosed within the past year. Elisabeth who is 8 was diagnosed her last day of school and Hayden who is 6 was diagnosed this past October. We want to help raise funds for JDRF.

Many people think type 1 diabetes can be controlled by insulin. While insulin does keep people with type 1 diabetes alive, it is NOT a cure. Aside from the daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes, there are many severe, often fatal, complications caused by the disease.

The good news, though, is that JDRF is making steady progress toward a cure. In fact, JDRF funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research to date. And JDRF funds more type 1 research than any other charity worldwide.

I'm writing to ask for your support because now more than ever, EACH of us can be a part of bringing about a cure. Each of us can make a real difference

Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as you're able?

Together, we can make the cure a reality.

Thank you,

Steve & Debbie Couch

Please visit my Walk Web page if you would like to donate online or see how close I am to reaching my personal goal:

http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87720795

Follow this link to make a donation:

http://walk.jdrf.org/support.cfm?id=87720795