BY ROBERT SANCHEZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pattiann and John Brofft and their children, twins Chance and Hailie, 8.
(Craig Ruttle photo)
|
ZOOM |
|
Hailie Brofft goes to school much like any other first-grader in Northern Kentucky. She puts on her shoes, gathers her pencils and papers, and kisses her mother goodbye.
What goes unnoticed is that this little 8-year-old girl has a disease that affects more than 5,000 children in the Tristate. Hailie has diabetes.
She was diagnosed last year, and now shares the need for daily insulin shots and regular blood sugar checks with her mother, who discovered her own diabetes 10 years ago.
"It's a huge adjustment to your lifestyle," said John Brofft, Hailie's father. "You're constantly watching and worrying." But Hailie's dad is putting his concern into action.
This fall he's helping organize two local walks as part of a nationwide effort to raise money for diabetes research. The goal: finding a cure.
Hailie and her mother, Pattiann Brofft, have what doctors call Type 1 diabetes, which is insulin-dependent. While daily shots don't cure the disease, they prolong life.
"A lot of people think it's no big deal when they hear the word diabetes. Believe me, it's a big deal," said Vickie Medberry, a member of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Mrs. Medberry didn't think it was a big deal when her middle child, Bobby, was diagnosed with diabetes at 17 months. Now, the 6-year-old is trying to live like any other child.
"He knows when his blood sugar is getting low, and he gets grumpy," Mrs. Medberry said. "He just cries and says, "Mom, I hate diabetes.' " On June 6, Hailie went into convulsions, common in diabetic children who have been too active during the day. Her "winter diet" needed to be switched to a "summer diet," which includes more meals to offset increased activity.
Hailie and Bobby are not alone; almost 960,000 children in the United States have diabetes.
Mr. Brofft became involved with a national walk-a-thon program for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation last year, which raises millions of dollars to fund research.
The Broffts went to work and ultimately raised $6,000.
On Sept. 26, hundreds will join them as they try to find a cure for diabetes. Walkers leaving from Northern Kentucky University are expected to collect $50,000 for research. Walkers at Kings Island are expected to raise almost $350,000.
Nationwide, the one-day Juvenile Diabetes Foundation fund-raisers are expected to raise $40 million.
