April 3^rd, 2014 changed our lives. Our 2 year old son, Yohan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Until that day, I did not know the existence of type 1 diabetes. I did not know that millions are living with this chronic illness every day. I did not know that every year 13000 children are diagnosed with this disease and this number keeps increasing. Until that day, I did not know that there is no CURE to this disease.

The first few days of Yohan’s diagnosis had not been easy. I crawled into bed thinking it was a bad dream only to wake up and face the reality. Yohan had been very inactive for a few weeks before his diagnosis. At first we thought he was jetlagged, since we had just travelled back from India. But then we noticed that he was losing weight. His appetite increased, he was urinating frequently and was thirsty all the time. I feared that Yohan had either Jaundice or Malaria or Typhoid, since we had just travelled back from India. Little did I know that the condition was much worse and Yohan has Type 1.  In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Various factors may contribute to Type 1 diabetes, including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. Although Type 1 typically appears in childhood or adolescence, it can also develop in adults. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, young children learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives. However, it requires daily management, insulin injections with pens, syringes or pumps.  Yohan was hospitalized for 6 days and we went through a series of education so that we can manage his disease appropriately.

Although this disease has consumed our lives, Yohan remains extremely active and healthy, loves playing with balls and trucks.  Throws tantrums like any two year old. He will start Montessori this Fall and we are looking forward to it. He has adjusted well to this transition but my hope is that he will be relieved of this burden. I will be fighting for a cure so that the world is free of diabetes, so that no other child has to go through this. My hope for Yohan and million others is to lead a long, healthy and happy life without having to worry.

I am taking part in this year's Walk to raise funds for the millions of people living with and affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D). The money I raise will help JDRF fund critical research to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people's lives until no other child has to fear developing the disease. JDRF is the largest nongovernmental funder of T1D research and the only global organization with a strategic research plan to fight T1D. This science is complex and costly, and every dollar towards this cause will help us turn Type 1 into Type None.

We have a great community here and I am hoping for support from all of you.  Every dollar counts and moves us closer to a cure. If you wish to donate to JDRF, please click on the link below:

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?team_id=155136&pg=team&fr_id=3969

Together we can create a world without Diabetes