Snedden’s journey began over a year ago as their youngest daughter, Macie, began having symptoms indicating something wasn’t quite right with her health. For the most part, she had been very healthy and active. But sometime in the early part of 2008, Macie slowly began losing weight and felt like she constantly needed to go to the bathroom. We thought maybe it was possibly a bladder infection or she was just growing at a rapid rate. Looking back now, this pattern was consistent throughout 2^nd grade. The final straw for Mom and Dad came on a Friday night during ballet practice. As we watched her dance, we could visibly see her bone structure like never before—there wasn’t an ounce of fat on her. Saturday night, she got sick with no flu-like symptoms and no fever. That was it…..Mom immediately called the doctor. At first, the discussion went from dehydration to issues with her kidneys. On Sunday morning, Macie was lethargic and barely moving. The decision was made. She needed to go to Children’s Hospital. Of course, we thought we would spend a couple of hours in the ER, obtain a diagnosis and be on our way. That is when everything changed. Macie was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on October 12, 2008. The hospital staff was great.

We really learned the nuts and bolts of diabetes during our four day stay. From the onset, Macie has been nothing less than a champion. She immediately complied with her new regimen of daily finger pricks, 60 grams of carbohydrates per day and at least 2 injections. We would like to think Dad’s talks with her about his lactose intolerance helped with her transition but we still find ourselves concerned about how she is doing on the inside…does she worry? Is she scared? We tell her often of how proud we are of her bravery. We participated in our first “Walk to Cure Diabetes” only a week into our journey and now realize we are part of a huge TEAM that will walk, ride, do whatever, to raise awareness and money towards a cure. We are grateful to JDRF as they have been a resource of information and connected us with fellow San Diegans. We are humbled to be the initial honor family for the “Ride to Cure Diabetes”. We gladly accept this honor on behalf of everyone associated with Type 1 Diabetes as we all journey together.

To support Diabetes Research which will lead to a cure for Macie and millions of others, Click here to Register for the Ride to Cure Diabetes.