A diagnosis of type one diabetes is a real life changer.
It means constantly monitoring blood sugar levels, injecting insulin, acutely keeping track of your diet, and more.
If State College resident Diane Krentzman had to describe type one diabetes in one word, she’d call it “dreadful.”
For Krentzman, that descriptor comes from personal experience, as she watched her mother suffer from type one diabetes. That’s why she got involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which held its 12th annual walk at Medlar Field on Saturday.
“My mom was a type one diabetic and she really suffered,” Krentzman says. “I always thought if there could be a cure, she just wouldn’t have had to suffer like that.”
The funds raised at during the walk, which topped $50,000, help support the effort to find that cure. For those suffering from type one diabetes, that would mean freedom from the disease’s confining grip.
“It’s a dreadful disease and people with type one or juvenile diabetes never have one moment of holiday,” Krentzman says. “They are constantly testing blood sugar, monitoring what they eat, monitoring their exercise, injecting insulin. Sometimes, despite the best you can do, it’s still a very difficult life. I’ve watched that.”
And for many who have this type of diabetes, the disease’s effects start at an early age. Walker Hayley Weyhe took part in honor of her son, who was diagnosed when he was just two years old.
Krentzman worries that the stigma associated with diabetes, which is related to type two — not type one — diabetes, negatively impacts fundraising efforts. While type two diabetes often results from poor diet, lack of exercise, and other lifestyle choices, type one diabetes is never the fault of the person suffering from it.
“There are a lot of people who find it embarrassing, and that’s a real shame,” Krentzman says. “I know a local family whose child was diagnosed this week and the parents have already told people not to tell anyone.”
She hopes that events like Saturday’s walk can help raise awareness and educate people about type one diabetes. In the end, that would be a great addition to the positives already stemming from the walk, including a significant amount of money raised for research and one day of fun for some people who really need it. From face painting to free water ice, the walk is meant to be a day of happiness.
“It’s not only difficult for the patient but it affects the whole family,” Krentzman says. “To see this family friendly event and everybody really enjoying themselves and having fun for a day is something very unique and special for me to see.”
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