As the month of March comes to a close, we thank our longtime partner, Tops Friendly Markets for their support. This month, we celebrated an incredible 30 year partnership with Tops as they helped raise money towards our mission and highlighted the stories our Upstate NY community living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) like Alessandro DiMeo & the Smith Family. Learn more about these families and their experiences living with T1D below:
Alessandro DiMeo
Meet Alessandro, whose mom shared his story with us, Alesandro was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at just 17 months of age. Alessandro presented flu-like symptoms which progressed rapidly over the course of a week. Unbeknownst to his mom, his blood sugar was dangerously high, and he was very close to falling into a coma.
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His mom, Michelle, shared: “Since that day I almost lost him, I have spent every waking moment working to keep Alessandro’s little body alive. I cannot begin to count the sleepless nights. It’s mentally and physically exhausting, and no one ever warns you about the emotional toll of T1D. Through the highs and lows, counting carbs, worrying, blaming myself and the “what if’s”, the rollercoaster of T1D doesn’t get easier, it just becomes a way of life.
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“T1D is a community disease. I have an incredible support system that includes my siblings, nieces and nephews, cousins, my father and most of all, my mother. This year I sent Alessandro off to Kindergarten, I had to trust strangers to keep my son alive. I had to put all my faith in his teacher and school nurse. I spend my days texting back and forth with school while trying to concentrate at work.
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“His first full week of school, he had a few scary lows. The nurse retrieved him from the cafeteria and called me. She said, ‘[H]e is in front of me, he is alert and drinking juice. Would you like to talk to him?’ Absolutely. ‘Hi buddy, how are you feeling?’ [Alessandro replied] ‘Hi Mommy, I am doing good and having a great day at school!’
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“I collapsed in a puddle of tears. How could my son be so immune to his highs and lows and still have that incredible personality? T1D can consume you. I try not to let T1D define Alessandro as a whole, this is only a portion of who he is. I want him to know he can grow up to be like Tom Hoffman, and ride 100 miles in the Ride to Cure, to own his own business, to live a happy healthy life and not let T1D hold him back. I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for supporting Breakthrough T1D. With the help of you all and your generous donations we can make strides to turning Type 1 into Type None.”
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Alessandro recently asked me, ‘Mom, do I still have diabetes?’ I replied, ‘Yes bud, you do, but if you and I keep fighting together you will one day get to say, “I used to have diabetes!”‘
Michelle & Alessandro’s story was originally featured on the Breakthrough T1D Facebook & Instagram pages.
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The Smith Family (Buz, Cale, & Jaxson)
Meet the Smith family, a family impacted generationally by type 1 diabetes (T1D). Cale Smith shared his story with us whom he thanks his mother for being the amazing caregiver to members to his family impacted by T1D. Cale takes us through a timeline through his family’s journey from diagnosis, management and loss:
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In 1950, Cale’s father Loring “Buz” Smith was born. In February 1974, after returning from the Vietnam War; Buz was diagnosed with T1D. The next few years would prove to be a challenge in monitoring and treating his diabetes with the resources that were available. From checking blood sugar levels through urine and multiple daily injections with pork insulin, sugars were always an approximate and specific targeted treatment was still in the works. In 1979, Buz and Michele (Cale’s mom) got married. Michele had familiarity with T1D: at the age of 10 her brother Mike had also been diagnosed with T1D. Later, in 1982 Cale was born.
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By 1990, Michele embarked on what Cale describes as one of her many selfless acts of love. Cale remembers his mother going to visit her brother, Mike, who also lived with T1D. Cale later found out that his mom donated her kidney to his uncle. At the time he had a 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son. The procedure gave Mike five years to live. [Mike] unfortunately passed away due to complications involving his type 1 diabetes in 1995.
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In 2002, Buz recalls receiving his first pump which dramatically improved his life. Fast forwarding to 2014, Cale noticed his vision changed and that summer he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 32 by his primary care doctor. He was prescribed Metformin and Glimepride. The next 6 years would prove to be turbulent in his diabetic care as it seemed as though nothing would truly work to keep his numbers in line and A1C results in a desired level.
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In September of 2016, Cale welcomed his own son, Jaxson. Michele made the hour drive in to Buffalo weekly to help babysit Jaxson during working hours. She would spend a great deal of time with him and became very concerned when she started noticing a trend of lethargy, unquenchable thirst, and extremely wet diapers. In May 2017, Michele insisted that she felt something wasn’t right with Jaxson so, with these symptoms, Cale decided to check his blood sugar. With a reading of over 450, they headed to the Children’s Hospital in downtown Buffalo where the Smith family would receive the official word that at 13.5 months of age, Jaxson had been diagnosed with T1D.
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With all of the advancements being made in the care for diabetes and Cale’s personal struggles with management he decided to seek out an endocrinologist. Compiling all the data, the doctor determined that Cale was experiencing what was referred to as LADA or Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults; a hybrid of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. At this time, they agreed to start a 2-week insulin therapy trial of MDIs with Novolog and Lantus; the results were instantaneous. Cale’s body accepted the insulin, and he was finally able to consistently manage his blood glucose in normal ranges.
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“Through all of this throughout the last 49 years there has been 1 constant. A ‘glue’ that has held us together, kept us strong, focused on the positive and moving forward: my mother. My mother does not have diabetes, but she has lived with it for over 4 decades. Funding research for managing and inevitably finding a cure for diabetes is what has allowed my family to still be together today. Without the funds that are raised every single year, these advancements would not be possible. Breakthrough T1D’s partnership with Tops Friendly Markets for the last 30 years has impacted millions of people throughout the world. From the bottom of our hearts, my family thanks you for making diabetes and Breakthrough T1D a priority in your fundraising efforts,” Cale Smith explains.
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