For many, including the Kleins, Thanksgiving is a time of year to spend with family and friends, while over indulging in fall foods. Now, it also has become the anniversary of their daughter’s type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis.

Leading up to Thanksgiving 2013, Shayna and Phil Klein noticed changes in their 8-year-old daughter, Brooke. Shayna recalled, “She was starting to become really lethargic and she lost a ton of weight.”

It wasn’t until Thanksgiving evening when the Kleins hosted a large gathering with family from out of town that they knew something was seriously wrong with their daughter. “Brooke was laying in bed and could not move,” Shayna reflected.

Phil and Shayna acted fast and took Brooke to the emergency room that night. With a blood sugar level of 550 Brooke was diagnosed with T1D on the spot. “It was a whirlwind for the next couple of weeks,” Shayna explained.

“It was really hard to grow accustomed to counting every carb that went into Brooke’s body and running around with a calculator,” said Shayna. “It was an immense amount of stress for my husband and me.”

After nine months of insulin shots, Brooke started using a t:slim insulin pump. “It was like freedom for her and for us,” said Shayna. “Phil and I are both full-time working parents, so prior Brooke being on a pump it was challenging because one of us would have to leave our job at lunchtime to give Brooke her shots.”

Although a balancing act, it also became the Kleins new normal. Shayna added, “Our new normal is a little more complex but we get there no matter how much or how long it takes.”

Support for the Klein family has been huge as they’ve learned to transition to life with T1D, especially in Brooke’s school district, Bloomfield Hills. “We are so lucky to go to the school district we do,” said Shayna. “There is an amazing sense of community and authentic care for students.”

Now 11 years old, Brooke continues to take on T1D like the champion she is. In fact, she even medaled gold for her gymnastics bar routine at the State Competition in May 2016. Along with gymnastics, Brooke also enjoys swimming, water skiing, photography and baking with various sugar substitutes.

The Klein family is also heavily involved with Breakthrough T1D. Phil serves on the Breakthrough T1D Board of Directors and Shayna serves as a Family Team Coach for the Breakthrough T1D One Walk. “It’s important for us to surround ourselves with people who are supportive and caring and accept our child without judgment for who she is,” said Shayna.

Walking for their third year in a row, Brooke’s Tumblebetics will join more than 5,000 T1D advocates representing local families, businesses, schools and other organizations at the Breakthrough T1D One Walk in Detroit this September.

Breakthrough T1D One Walk is the most powerful peer-to-peer fundraising program in the world for T1D, raising more than $68 million annually. Since 1992, the event has raised more than $1 billion dollars for life-changing T1D research—research that has led to breakthrough discoveries, many of which have already moved into clinical trials and real-world testing.

Get involved with Breakthrough T1D One Walk today and visit: https://bit.ly/215TdCB.