Our family’s lives were drastically changed on June 16, 2014 when our beautiful energetic 11 year old daughter,Lilli, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. When we arrived at the ER we were told she had Type 1 Diabetes and Diabetic Keto-Acidosis. We knew it was serious but had no idea at the time that DKA can quickly lead to coma, or worse. Family and friends began praying and miraculously despite a blood sugar of near 1,000 and acidic blood, Lilli remained responsive. The next morning we expected to learn about a strict diet and medications Lilli would need to reverse this condition. When we asked the doctor what we do next and she said, “You learn to give her insulin shots” we felt like someone had stabbed us in the heart. We had read so much about the importance of diet and exercise when it came to Diabetes. Surely since our family adopted a healthy lifestyle our little girl couldn’t possibly need insulin!?! Little did we know that when we read about diabetes being prevented and cured they were only talking about Type 2 Diabetes. We were completely devastated to learn that Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Lilli’s strength and perseverance through it all has been incredible. By the 2nd day in the hospital a girl who was terrified of needles began giving herself injections. Not once has she complained or had a “poor me” moment despite the fact that she gets stuck several times a day, even in the middle of the night. When we came home from the hospital she made her screen saver to read: "God gave me this life because he knew I was strong enough to live it." Her extremely artistic cousin, Nicholas painted her a picture with this saying. She has proved over and over to her family that she truly is strong enough to live a long full life with Type 1 Diabetes.

Judi Kunkle
Weatherly, PA