Life with juvenile diabetes no walk in park
Published Friday June 12th, 2009
Fundraiser Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Harbour Passage
WELSFORD - Life has not been easy for Katelyn Bond.
Katelyn is an 11-year-old Welsford resident living with juvenile diabetes. She is graduating from her Grade 5 class this week and will be moving on to River Valley Middle School in the fall.
She was diagnosed at four years old.
Katelyn was chosen as a child ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation a year ago by Kelly Hare, the head of fundraising and development for the Saint John branch, at last year's Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes. Katelyn is one of seven ambassadors in Saint John and surrounding areas.
Ambassadors can be children of any age living with type one diabetes, from toddlers to teens. They go to functions in their area and speak about living with type one diabetes, as well as making media appearances.
Hare spoke of how important child ambassadors are to diabetes research.
"It's vitally important. That's what the face of JDRF is. It's not only important for us, but it's important for them as well. It gives them an opportunity and provides their families with hope," Hare said.
Type one diabetes can be lethal if left untreated. Katelyn has to wear an insulin pump that feeds insulin into her body as she needs it because her body does not naturally produce it. There is no known cure for diabetes.
Katelyn is a soft-spoken girl, quiet, with a love for reading and language arts. She is also a dancer.
Her mother, Terri-Lynn Bond, said that she is very proud of the way that her daughter has dealt with being diabetic.
"She has done amazing. It didn't take her very long at all and she was up and running with it. Before we got her on her pump she was doing everything herself. She just picked it up right from the get go. She does everything now herself, too," Bond said.
Katelyn has spent two summers at Camp Dia-Best, a camp on Grand Lake for children affected with diabetes. She said that she has made many friends throughout her time there and that they understand what she is going through.
"It's really nice to have friends there for you," she said.
She hopes that her participation as an ambassador will promote diabetes awareness and help to raise money.
The 2009 Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes takes place Sunday at Market Square. Registration begins at noon and the walk along the Harbour Passage begins at 2 p.m.
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