Hope for Ayla

Dante and I are writing this on behalf of Ayla,
Ayla was diagnosed with type 1 ( juvenile ) diabetes on January 30th,2008 at the tender age of 19 months. She will be insulin dependent for the rest of her life. So far, in her 3 short years of life she has been subjected to 4,360 finger and toe pricks and been on the receiving end of 3,150 injections of insulin. We are looking into an insulin pump for her, which would mean less injections and better control, but I guess the “selfish” part of me just wanted to see my baby girl enjoy one more summer at the beach , without visible tubing. It’s easier to pretend everything is okay when she looks just like any other kid, isn’t it? We plan to start pump classes this Fall. Ayla is so full of Life, and such a character! I can’t tell you how many times I have cried alone at night, wondering why this would ever happen to such a great little soul.
We have spent the last year and a half just trying to cope and survive this. Ayla had 2 very serious hypoglycemic seizures that shook me to my very core. Both happened while everyone was asleep, and the last was almost a year ago, but only 6 days after the birth of our youngest daughter. That is when I stopped sleeping for more than 2 hours at a time. I remember holding her as she seized, Dante on the phone with a 911 operator, begging for her life and the seizure to stop. Thank God, it did. It has taken a toll. I feel ALL the kids have been robbed of a part of their childhoods. Seeing my other children crying hysterically as their little sister is rushed away, dying in an ambulance. A part of their innocence and belief that Mom and Dad can make everything better is gone. I started eating to try to dull the pain and fill my aching heart up somehow, and gained a lot of weight. Dante started smoking again. Ayla can’t have a simple overnight at Grandma’s house, because Grandma and Grandpa are afraid to take care of her without us.
We chose to lay it all out for you, and not sugar coat anything. We need you to understand why we need a cure for diabetes NOW. We can’t wait. Ayla can’t wait.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the number 1 funder of juvenile diabetes research. One of their largest fund raising events is the “ Walk to cure Diabetes”. This year we have formed a team called Hope for Ayla. This years walk will be held on Saturday September 13th, 2009 in Portland ME.

If you are interested there are 3 ways you can help us to provide Hope for Ayla.
• You can join our team, Hope for Ayla, which consists of family and friends and collect pledges and walk with us.
• Send a donation and contact your friends and family to send a donation as well. Contact us and we will send you a pledge form. You can also forward this letter to as many people as you like.
• You can send a tax deductible donation in ANY amount made payable to JDRF. We will deliver any donations, in Ayla’s name, the morning of the walk. You can also donate online by going to www.walk.jdrf.org We are team Hope for Ayla.
Thank You for helping us meet and hopefully exceed our family goal of raising $1000 for diabetes research. Hope to see you at the Walk!

Here's a link to Ayla's Diabetes Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kI1JFUV1OY