MOUNT LAUREL – Jake Kasper honed his math skills at a younger
age than most children.
He was just 1 year old when he was diagnosed with Type 1
juvenile diabetes. By necessity, the Mount Laurel resident learned
to count carbohydrates and units of insulin.
Jake’s older brother later was diagnosed with the disease.
Having already learned how to manage juvenile diabetes, Matt Kasper
went from helping his brother to taking care of his own body.
Kilian Teschko uses an insulin pump to control his condition.
The Lumberton teenager was diagnosed at age 8 but maintains an
active, athletic lifestyle.
They and other youngsters with juvenile diabetes are the focus
of an annual black-tie event aimed at helping to treat and cure the
disease.
On Saturday, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation will host
its 2011 Dream Gala at 6 p.m. The annual fundraising event is
expected to entertain and educate about 350 people at the Westin
hotel on Fellowship Road. Money raised will benefit research
initiatives.
“We hope to raise several hundred thousand this year,” said
Scott Kasper, father of Matt and Jake, and vice president of the
foundation’s South Jersey chapter. “Everything we do ultimately
comes back to trying to fund that cure.”
Described as a formal party, the gala also will feature dinner,
dancing, live entertainment, and live and silent auctions with
items donated by local businesses and individuals.
Attendees will have opportunities to bid on a variety of goods
and services, such as trips to Mexico, Canada and New York City;
live performances by the cast of “Glee” and Katy Perry; a Phillies
party at the Hall of Fame Club during a game at Citizens Bank Park;
and an Apple iPad.
Kasper said the organization also runs a Fund the Cure donation
drive during the gala.
“We raise a significant amount of money with no prize attached,”
he said. “The prize is a cure.”
The foundation also will honor local businessman and
philanthropist Brian Radwell at the gala. Radwell, the owner of
Radwell International in Lumberton, is an event sponsor and has
donated funding to the organization in the past. He said Thursday
he is “honored” to be recognized and proud to be associated with
foundation.
“I asked my staff how many people were affected by diabetes. A
pretty decent number of staff members have had diabetes impact
their lives. I wanted to step up and do more,” the Medford resident
said.
Parents of all of the boys said juvenile diabetes affects not
only those with the condition, but also the entire family.
A father of three, Kasper said many planned activities get
canceled or altered because of complications that arise, such as a
malfunctioning insulin pump or sudden illnesses that would be
routine for most children.
Unlike Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 cannot be managed by diet and
exercise, nor can it be cured. Kasper said children with the
disease will rely on insulin for the rest of their lives.
“Routine things aren’t routine for us. We have to expect the
unexpected. Everything is a challenge,” said Kasper, corporate
director of emergency services for Virtua Health.
He and his wife, Rachel, worry about every ingredient in every
meal, and what happens when the boys are in school or playing
sports.
“I’m never without my cellphone. I get calls from their schools
multiple times a day,” he said. “I haven’t slept through the night
in six years. I need to make sure my kids are still breathing in
the middle of the night. The effect of exercise on blood sugar can
happen hours after it’s done.”
So much of the family’s focus is on the disease that Kasper said
his middle son sometimes feels invisible. Ryan Kasper, 11, is the
only brother who does not have the condition.
Colleen Teschko, Kilian’s mother, said she abandoned a previous
career to stay home and care for her son after he was diagnosed
seven years ago. Working for Radwell, Teschko commutes a short
distance from home, allowing her to remain close to her three boys.
Kilian’s younger brothers do not have juvenile diabetes.
Teschko said her eldest son, a freshman at Rancocas Valley
Regional High School in Mount Holly, is managing his condition
well.
“He is very lucky. He has control of his blood sugars,” she
said.
Kristen Coppock can be reached at 609-871-8073 or
kcoppock@phillyBurbs.com
Follow Kristen on Twitter at
twitter.com/kcoppockbct
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