Meet Sam!

I would like to introduce you to my friend Sam. I have known Sam and his family since before he was born and I consider them part of my own family. I kept Sam in the nursery at church, babysat him more times than I can possibly count (wouldn't have it any other way), was his nanny for a summer, and he was just recently the ring bearer in our wedding. He is a typical 5 year old boy who just started kindergarten this year (wow!), loves superheroes, Star Wars, the X-Box, sports, and just about anything his daddy likes! The only difference between Sam and other 5 year olds is that Sam has Type 1 Diabetes. He was diagnosed with this disease when he was only 2 years old, and will have to deal with the responsibilities and dangers of diabetes for the rest of his life. However, despite the problems that the disease poses, Sam has learned to adapt to his new lifestyle. Whether it be finger pricks to check his blood glucose levels or insulin shots to protect him, he takes everything in stride. He is so amazingly brave and seems to always manage a bright outlook even as he ages and begins to understand more and more about the disease he faces. Michael and I don't get to see Sam and his family as much as we would like to anymore, but he is still a huge part of our lives, and we constantly have him in our thoughts and prayers. Whoever is reading this, we would like to ask you to keep Sam in your prayers as well, and we would also like you to pray for a day when a cure for diabetes will be found so that kids like Sam can be a little less brave and a lot more carefree.

If you would like to learn more about diabetes and make a contribution to finding a cure, please visit http://www.samandskyewalkers.com/.