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When the students of Cathedral City High School’s Health Occupational Student Academy, or HOSA, found out their community project was to help raise awareness of juvenile diabetes, 11th-grader Josh Sonico was more than willing to help.
Juvenile diabetes hits especially close to home for Sonico who watched his older brother, Justin, grow up giving himself shots of insulin and regulating his diet and health. Justin Sonico was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, also known as Type 1 diabetes, as an infant.
“My brother has diabetes and I know three kids at school who have it,” Josh Sonico said. “We wanted to form a walk that would not only raise money, but raise awareness so that kids who have the disease won’t feel embarrassed about it.”
The First Annual Walk For A Cure is set to take place Saturday at the Cathedral City High School track and field. The walk will begin at 10 a.m. and is free to anyone who wishes to participate. Donations can be given online at jdrf.org/teamjdrf to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.
“The students are learning that there is a lot of work that goes into this type of event and we are trying to stand back and let the kids do the work,” said Stefanie Sonico, Josh’s mother and head of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund of the Coachella Valley. “So far, they have done a great job.”
According to the organization’s website, juvenile diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the body attacks beta cells in the pancreas where insulin is produced. When the beta cells are destroyed, insulin cannot be produced and the glucose stays in the blood where it can cause damage to the organ systems in the body.
Some of the sponsors of the walk are Coca-Cola, Desert Regional Medical Center and Gemini Electric.
Nellie N. Coffman and James Workman middle schools plan to have students participate in the walk as well.
“The walk will illustrate how raising community awareness for a charity not only improves the lives of those who have the disease, but how it supports fundraising efforts — in this case, funding research for a cure for juvenile diabetes,” said HOSA adviser Jessica Parent.
