One hundred and one walkers, assisted by 36 volunteers, raised $22,103 towards the Southwest Type 1 Sharps’ $35,000 goal at the 2011 Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes event on Oct. 29, to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and to raise the profile of November as Diabetes Awareness Month.
Wearing a shirt with “I’m diabetic” on the front and “So what?” on the back, Southwest Type 1 Sharps ambassador Tazmyn Banadyga, just two and a half years old, offered compelling motivation for finding a cure for Juvenile Diabetes. Tazmyn is being encouraged to live as normal a life as possible while learning how to control her diabetes.
Mom Danielle admitted, “We come from a family with no Type 1 or Type 2 background, so when she was diagnosed it was a lot of shock.”
Tazmyn’s symptoms, at 18 months of age, included lots of mood swings, recurring throat and urinary tract infections, sleeplessness and weight loss.
“The month she was diagnosed, she lost nine pounds, so she was very, very sick. Since she’s been diagnosed, we’ve come full circle back. She’s gained weight, she’s growing, she’s eating, she’s sleeping. She’s a very happy, contented little girl, an excellent personality and a joy to be around now. Little things make a huge difference for her.”
The Banadygas became members of SW Type 1 Sharps to learn how to help Tazmyn and to raise community awareness of diabetes. Tazmyn is the youngest member of the group.
“We are hoping with her being an ambassador, it’s something she can look back on and see it as a positive thing. We don’t ever want her to think her diabetes will restrict her from being normal. She can do everything that any other kid does.”
As she gets older, Tazmyn’s symptoms are expected to stabilize somewhat.
“She’s just started recognizing her sugar highs and lows, so she can manage it more on her own, but when she was first diagnosed she didn’t know herself what was happening, so that part was really frustrating.
“Now she puts her machine together, she pokes her own toe, and she’ll take her sugar or she’ll lift up her shirt and point to her tummy for insulin, and when she’s low she asks for a juice box. Specifically for a juice box. She’s come a long way in the last year, for her.”
Tazmyn’s diagnosis has been a life-changing event for her and her family, but both Danielle and dad Zane have been inspired by the fact that many food producers are complying with a public demand for lower carbohydrates in their products.
“Tazmyn was in hospital for seven full days, and when she was released I was thinking, ‘can she just stay?’ because it was so overwhelming. The first time I went grocery shopping after she was diagnosed, it took me three hours because I read every nutritional value label. It was insane. Since then, I swear that lots of companies have really lowered their sugar and carbohydrate count because I’ve found that there’s a lot more options, even in the last six months.”
Once Tazmyn can safely assume responsibility for monitoring her condition, life can become a little less fearful and structured for the Banadyga family.
“When she was first diagnosed, we never went anywhere because we were afraid we’d be somewhere without medical help. Now we’re more comfortable with what she needs. When she’s able to have an insulin pump, we’ll do a lot more travelling and it will mean a lot more freedom for her.”
Other ambassadors this year include Taylor Vause of the Swift Current Broncos and Daylan Gatzke, who plays for the Home Hardware Legionnaires.
“The new Legionnaires coach wanted to do a Goals for a Cure cause,” explained Daylan’s mom Donna Gatzke, an organizer of the Walk and member of SW Type 1 Sharps. “Because Daylan was a Type 1 diabetic, they figured that would be a great cause to get behind. BodyFit is matching. They’re giving a donation for every goal that Daylan scores this year, and we’re doing a match.”
Donations are still welcome. Contact Donna Gatzke at 306-741-0413 or by email at gatzkedonna@sasktel.net.
