Archive: Around Town

Lansing High School student Emary Iocobucci and 3rd grader Ella made a pitch at Wednesday's Board Of Education meeting to garner support for diabetes research.  November is National Diabetes Month.  Ella asked for support for the Raymond C. Buckley Elementary School Kids Walk to Cure Diabetes.  Iocabucci asked for a lot of social media 'noise' to raise awareness with a 'Thunderclap' on Facebook and twitter.  Here is her letter explaining why everyone should participate in this free effort:

I'm writing in regards to a Type 1 Diabetes awareness event on November 1st.  Before I get into the event, I'd like you all to know why it's important to be aware of T1D. According to JDRF, as many as three million Americans may have T1D, and each year 15,000 children are diagnosed in the U.S. The prevalence of T1D in Americans under age 20 rose by 23% between 2001 and 2009. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic limb amputations, and blindness in the U.S. The risk of death in a person with T1D is statistically twice as high as someone without it in the same age group.

T1D is a disease that can't be cured, just 'managed'. It is definitely not caused by eating too many sweets. In fact, no one knows what causes T1D.

Not only is managing your health difficult when you have T1D, but it can be emotionally distressing. For young kids, it’s common for them to feel like they’re being punished for doing something wrong, and they often feel ashamed or guilty for having diabetes.

For teens, diabetes is an added stress on an already hectic life. Teens often feel rejected or different because of their diabetes. The desire to 'be normal' usually leads to forgetfulness toward their health needs while trying to feel as spontaneous as their peers. Neglecting diabetes for even a few minutes can be serious. Even when things are 'calm' it's no joy-ride to have diabetes on your mind 24/7.

What I'm asking you all to consider doing is very simple and very quick. To kick off the awareness month, JDRF is hosting a 'thunderclap'. What this means is that at 11:00am on November 1st, participants will post an awareness message on Facebook or Twitter.

If you go to the thunderclap website and click the button saying you're willing to participate, the site will give you a chance to add a personalized message to a pre-made Facebook post that will then automatically post on November 1st. You can also change your profile picture to be the organization's logo.

This requires no money and no donations. It's quick and easy, and would spread the message to a large number of people.

I want kids who are going through this every day to know that they have support. It's very hard to speak up about having diabetes especially at a young age because it feels wrong and self-centered, even though it shouldn't. My goal is to help those kids and everyone around them who care for them each day. With your support, we can make one loud voice say we care.

I think the goal of this event is touching and strong: "Let's turn type one into type none". We can do something about diabetes, so why not start now?

Here is the link to their page:  http://jdrf.org/national-diabetes-awareness-month/#participate

Thank you,

Emary Iacobucci,
Lansing High School Student
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