Imagine for a moment that you’re standing in the Emergency Room
 with the limp, almost lifeless body of your three year-old
 in your arms.  You have no idea what has gone so
 terribly wrong.  You took your child to the doctor a
 couple of days before and they sent you home saying
 "not to worry, it's just a common virus."
 Now, while she's on the gurney with tubes being
 placed in this tiny body you think, Why is she
 breathing so heavily?  It's like she’s been out
 playing and running as fast as her little legs can carry her,
 but I can't even get her to open her eyes.
 Why?  Why are there two doctors coming in
 to talk to me instead of one?  That means it is really
 bad...Doesn't it?"  

 I don't have to imagine.  This story is my
 reality.  I hope that the information I provide for you
 will save you from the same experience.  With my
 efforts, along with many other concerned and motivated
 individuals, we want to bring an end to this
 completely.  

 What is this?  This is Juvenile Diabetes, also
 known as Type 1 Diabetes.  This disease has a lot of
 ambiguity and misinformation surrounding it.  I would
 have thought being a woman who has not only already raised a
 child, but has worked with behaviorally, medically and
 emotionally challenged children for two decades, I would
 have been more educated--more aware.  Sadly, I was
 not.

 When those doctors approached me, I had no idea that they
 were going to tell me my daughter was in a KetoAcidosis, or
 DKA coma, and that she had Juvenile Diabetes.  She
 would be rushed up to the ICU and, if they could help her
 come out of the coma, she should start to emerge in 6 to 8
 hours.  By the THIRD DAY, my precious daughter was still
 unresponsive and even my family was starting to lose faith
 that she would ever wake up.

 First I want to let you know that Juvenile (Type 1)
 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease.  There are different
 theories as to why some people get this disease and others
 don't.  There may be some kind of genetic link.
 It could be a self-allergy, where the body's immune
 system thinks something doesn't belong in the body and
 attacks itself.  Or it could be initiated by exposure
 to a virus or chemical that attacks the islet cells where
 insulin is made. 

 
 The most important thing to take away from this
 is that it can happen to anyone.  This disease
 is not due to lifestyle issues, as can be the case with Type
 2 Diabetes. They are very different.  People with Type
 1 have low or no insulin.  People with Type 2 have
 normal or high insulin levels.    Where Type 2
 Diabetics may be able to manage their disease through
 diet, exercise and oral medications, Type 1 Diabetics must
 count every carbohydrate and monitor their overall health.
 They must have insulin injections daily, or
 they will die.  Insulin is life support for
 those with Juvenile Diabetes.

 Back in the ICU...Little, sweet girl still
 breathing so heavily.  Her body, as I would find out,
 was trying to get rid of all those Keytones that were built
 up while her body was attacking itself.  Even though
 she had not even opened her eyes or said "Mama," I
 was told that I had to learn how to poke her little fingers
 to check her blood glucose. Learn how to properly inject
 insulin into her tiny tummy and, if I were blessed enough
 for her to wake up, I would have to do these things several
 times a day, everyday for the rest of her life.
 
 At the end of ten days in ICU I took my little girl
 home.  I also took home lots of information of
 all the dangers and damage that this disease could pose for
 my daughter.  All of a sudden the movie Steel Magnolias
 came flooding back to me.  Oh my God!  That is why
 Julia Robert's character had seizures; was advised
 against having a child and died from kidney failure!
  
 I was in mourning.  Devastated that my
 dreams for my daughter have been dashed by this damn
 disease.  I was angry.  No... I was furious!
 To make matters worse, ten to fifteen times a day, (more if
 she was sick or having lots of fluctuations in her blood
 glucose levels) I had to poke her tiny fingers.  Hear
 her cry.  Watch her bleed. Listen to her beg for
 "no more, mommy please."  See her eyes wide
 with fear and anticipation as I drew up the needle full of
 insulin. Hurt her again while injecting her tummy and seeing
 the results of my actions in the bruises and
 eventual scarring from the 4 to 8 injections a
 day.  I even have to wake her up during the night,
 every night, to assault her body.  As I
 write this today--over three years later--the tears still
 roll freely down my face.

 But I have hope!  Even though I lost my
 marriage (as many couples do when dealing with these types
 of issues), I have my daughter and our lives have improved
 every year.  Our lives have improved because of JDRF
 the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  A
 foundation that raises awareness about Juvenile Diabetes,
 raises funds to bring better technology for better treatment
 of the disease and to FIND A CURE!   The amazing news
 is that there is a "cure" of sorts already. 
 In simple terms, it’s a closed looped system that acts like
 a pancreas.  Now all that is needed is the funding to
 finish bringing it to the people who so desperately need
 it.
 
 My hope is inspired by my amazing son, who has learned how
 to help care for his little sister's disease and by my
 incredible friends.  These friends
 and I came up with an idea of how to raise money and
 awareness in the form of an album called JDRF's
 Hope For The Holidays.  

 Producer/sound engineer Tom Gordon and Dr. Lawrence Davis (who owns Imirage Sound Lab), and I myself called in every favor we had. Dr. Davis donated all the studio time, and Tom
 and I put together an incredible ensemble of talent
 including Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Mike and Christian
 Love of The Beach Boys, Weezer, Collective Soul, David
 Coverdale of Whitesnake, Jon Anderson of Yes, Fab Morvan of
 Milli Vanilli, Filmmaker Bryan Singer and so many
 more.  The album is on sale now and is catching on like
 wildfire.  It’s truly a blessed project.
 
 
 So here is how you can help and bring hope to these
 children, their families, and everyone who is touched by
 this disease.  First, be aware of the warning
 signs: Weight loss, constant thirst, frequent
 urination, complaining of leg pain, fatigue, sweet smelling
 breathe and labored breathing.  With flu and cold
 season here, be extra aware if something does not seem quite
 right.  The tests to check for signs of Juvenile
 Diabetes are relatively simple and can save unnecessary
 damage to the body and possibly save a life. Insist that your doctor, urgent care or hospital test for
 sugar in the urine and abnormal blood glucose level.  I
 didn't know to request those tests and almost lost my
 daughter!
 
 Now I appreciate and treasure every day I have with my
 daughter.  She has grown used to the pain--and believe
 me just because these children are courageous,  it does
 hurt!  On the days when my daughter tells me that she
 has had enough and I should let her go to Heaven to be with
 grandma, I swallow my tears and tell her that I am selfish
 and would really love her to hang out here with me for
 awhile longer.
 
 This is a brief overview of Juvenile Diabetes.  You
 can learn more by logging on to www.JDRF.org.  You can
 support our quest for longer better lives without blindness,
 kidney failure, strokes, cardiac arrest, amputations and
 other terrible results of this disease, including death, by
 donating to your local or national JDRF chapters.
 OR by purchasing our album "JDRF's Hope
 For The Holidays" which takes your donation and
 increases it exponentially!  To support this project,
 donate to our non-profit company that created this
 album, "Music For Hope Benefiting JDRF," by contacting me:
 

 Kristian Darling

 Music For Hope
 9732 State Route 445

 Sparks, Nevada 89436

 Tel.(775) 233-8803.  
 
 Thank you and Happy Holidays!
 
 Kristian Darling

 Sociologist/Partner of Music For
 Hope/Blessed Mother - Hell or High Water Girl!

Northern Nevada HIV Outpatient Program, Education and Services (HOPES) was established on August 21, 1997.   This group of committed individuals--representatives from the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine and all three major hospitals in the Reno area--came together to conceive of an elaborate, long range plan .  A plan that kept clients out of the hospital, reducing the then burden on emergency rooms.  We opened our doors in February in 1998, but the process for developing a full service AIDS Service Organization has continued to grow over the years, based on need. 

The percentage of the numbers of clients diagnosed in the gay community is slowly going down.  The biggest groups becoming infected are Hispanic and African American women.  It does seem that we have been dealing with that same issue of HIV/AIDS over these past years, with little glimmer for a cure and a plethora of medication to be able to treat patients, with hopes (pun intended) of improving their quality of life.  

In 1998, we had 137 clients that we took over from the Washoe County District Health Department.  Now, with more than 750 clients, we fill the entire southwest corner of 5^th and Ralston streets.  We have a social service department, outreach and testing, a medical clinic, a pharmacy, a client drop-in center and an administrative office building.  The administrative building is our “brand”--it’s a turn-of-the-century Mission/Revival Style Home listed on the National Historic Registry. 

There are a number of objectives that we aspire to in our outreach test sites and events: 

1. When we go out looking for cases in various venues, we are looking for that 25-30 % of the HIV positive population THAT DOES NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THEY ARE INFECTED.  In this day and age, people still don’t believe they are at risk; that getting this disease is not about who you sleep with, but if you have practiced safer sex, etc.
2. We also do our best to get the people that we know are infected (and not in care) into the clinic so that they may see the possibilities of living a long and productive life in spite of having this disease.  Advances in medication have now made it possible to decrease the viral load of the virus in your bloodstream and increase your CD4 count (the cells the virus destroys) to improve your immune system.  It may take some hits and misses before you find the right combination, but rest assured there is one out there for you!
3. And even if you have never been tested and you are aware that you have participated in risky behavior we will also give you a test.  The one thing about the tests is that you can get one, but, YOU HAVE TO COME BACK FOR THE RESULTS.  Otherwise what purpose does it serve and if you are infected we cannot get you under medical supervision to monitor your particular virus, and you can be out there infecting other unsuspecting citizens.

Look for our column each month for more information on our programs, events and services.

Kevi J. Wood

Founding Member

Corporate Secretary

Board of Directors