Local girls walk for juvenile diabetes cure

Local girls walk for juvenile diabetes cure By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Laura Miller

On Valentine’s Day, 2003, 10-year-old Laura Miller had gone to the movies with her family, finally had her ears pierced, and received a call from the doctor that would change her life forever.

Laura had gone to the doctor often over the course of the year. She suffered from what she and her parents thought was a severe case of the flu, missing two weeks of school. Her breathing was labored, and she was so tired she fell asleep while taking a shower. Insatiable thirst followed. Laura said she drank a gallon of milk every morning, but could never quite quench her thirst. Another symptom was excessive urination.

Laura’s doctor delivered the news that she had Type I, or juvenile, diabetes. She said that the doctor explained that "insulin unlocks the door on one side to open and get sugar from the bloodstream to the cells on the other side of the door." Without shots of insulin, which was initially administered two to three times per day, sugar would lock in her bloodstream and cause her cells to starve.

Julie Lindholm-Couch is 8. Julie doesn’t remember life without diabetes. She was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was 2, but as she gets older the ramifications of the disease become more real. The Agoura Hills third-grader and her family try not to let the disease interfere with her life. She skis, rides her horse, swims and carries on with her fight to find a cure for juvenile diabetes.

As active as Julie is, diabetes has stolen some childhood joys. "I can’t do sleepovers," Julie said. She added that she sometimes has seizures during the night if her blood sugar gets low. If her blood sugar rises too high, she goes into "ketoacidosis," which makes her nauseous and could lead to coma or death. As young as Julie is, she understands these facts and worries about how long she will live.

Both Laura and Julie are fighters. The girls have formed separate teams that will participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s "Walk for a Cure" on Sunday, Sept. 26 at Oxnard State Beach Park. Laura raised $17,000 last year for the group and hopes to meet or surpass the sum this year.

Julie’s team, "Julie’s Jewels," hopes to raise about $15,000. Julie’s mother, Leslie, said that they mailed out 3,000 letters to families at Pinecrest School and neighboring schools in Moorpark, Van Nuys and Woodland Hills.

Laura now receives insulin from a pump three times a week via a shot in her stomach. She worries about fainting if her insulin level becomes low. She thinks about death. A seventh-grader at Medea Creek Middle School in Oak Park, Laura is bothered by how her condition affects her friendships. At first, she said that kids treated her as if she were contagious and "kept their distance." She must test her blood sugar several times a day.

"Every time I tested in school kids were all hyper like it was some big show," she said. Laura has taken the time to explain the condition to her friends. They now feel comfortable with the medical procedures and are aware of adverse symptoms, should they appear.

A singer who performed at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) dinner attended by such celebrities as Nancy Reagan, Michael J. Fox, Harrison Ford, Larry King and others, Laura channels her energy as a JDRF Youth Ambassador.

Laura hopes to talk to Congress about the juvenile diabetes and the need for funding, the usefulness of stem cell research and her dream of life without a need for artificial insulin, her wish for a cure.

Laura and Julie are two of 16 million Americans suffering from diabetes. To participate in the 5K "Walk for a Cure" at Oxnard State Beach Park this Sunday, check in at 9 a.m. The walk begins at 11 a.m. Each girl organized her own team.

To donate tax-deductible funds to the cause, you can log on to Laura’s own website at the address gillian@diabetesandmore.com or Julie’s at http://walkjdrf.org/walker.cfm?id+85800631.

Contributions can also be made to JDRF on behalf of Laura Miller at P.O. Box 683, Agoura Hills, CA 91376 or for Julie’s Jewels at 30473 Mulholland Hwy #31, Agoura CA 91301. JDRF will receive all funds.