PORT COLBORNE –
Seth Tonelli may not look sick, but if he’s not careful his pancreas might get the best of him.
The nine-year-old Port Colborne boy was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was just two years old.
But he doesn’t let that get him down.
“We always tell him, you know it could be worse, you could be in a hospital bed,” his mother Lisa Tonelli said. “This is just life, this is what we have to do.”
The family has high hopes the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) will find a cure in Seth’s lifetime, so they have always taken part in fundraisers for the charity.
Last year Team Tonelli, comprising friends, family and co-workers, raised more than $10,000 for the annual Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes, on Merritt Island in Welland.
This year the family alone has already raised $1,000 for the five-kilometre walk taking place on the island trails Sunday, Sept. 23, starting at noon.
Seth and his six-year-old brother, Sam, have gone door-to-door asking neighbours to donate. He said even though he gets nervous sometimes, having his brother with him helps. Having generous neighbours helps make it easier, too.
The family will host a garage sale at 29 Third Ave. in Port Colborne on Saturday, Sept. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Sandi Teal, Seth’s grandmother, said there will be a great mix of items at the sale.
“There really is something for everyone. We have lamps, bedding furniture, kids stuff, just all kinds of things.”
Seth will be selling Kool-Aid for 25 cents a glass at the garage sale.
The family hopes to raise at least $2,000 for the walk in the hopes that someday Seth won’t have to watch what he eats, count carbs or sit idly by as other children pig out on holidays.
“Halloween is hard for him. When all the other kids are scarfing down candy, he can’t and that can be hard on him, but we manage,” his mom said. “I know we’ll surpass our goal, people are very generous when it comes to this.”
