I wrote this article for the Milwaukee HOG Chapter newsletter to help promote the JDRF 2006 Zoo Walk. The HOG chapter rides from the House of Harley to the Zoo then does the walk....
JDRF and the ride to the Zoo
Two years ago, our chapter director, Mike Casper learned of our daughter Bailee’s struggle with Type 1 diabetes. We explained to him that although she is now 25 years old, we’ve struggled as a family to cope with her disease since she was diagnosed at age 9. The struggle doesn’t only come from dealing with checking blood sugar 5 to 6 times a day (the infamous finger pokes), 4 insulin shots per day, and monitoring what she eats, but there are other factors to consider such as how the insulin reacts when she exercises too much or what happens when she is ill. Her last real bout of trouble came when new, more powerful forms of insulin were introduced and the struggle with having to learn how to adjust the dosage necessary to keep her healthy with these better drugs. Once we had that down through doctor consultations and nutritional counseling sessions, she was well on her way to successfully managing her disease. The part people don’t talk much about is the expense. Between endocrinologist visits, lab work, dieticians, blood glucose monitoring devices, chemstrips, lancets, syringes, and insulin, the out of pocket costs even when you have great health insurance can be high. We also have an on-going relationship with our local paramedics for the 911 calls we’ve had to make when her blood sugar get so low we’ve lost control of the disease. Low blood sugar causes a comatose-like condition and the paramedics would come and insert an IV of glucose to bring her back. It always makes me wonder if she would ever be able to live on her own, I hope that day never comes because as a mother, I would worry too much to ever get any sleep. After telling Mike how passionate we were about finding a cure for this disease (as he politely listened to our long drawn out story about Bailee) and how interested I was in the hopes that stem cell research could provide for people like her, he explained the chapter’s dedication to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). My husband, Jeff and I told Mike we would be happy to help. Mike had this wonderfully nice idea to make Bailee the honorary lead in the bike ride to the zoo during the chapter’s first year of involvement in the JDRF cause. So Jeff and Bailee rode up front as the lead with the other 13 bikes following behind. When they got to the zoo they were greeted by the rest of our family, who planned on being there for Bailee all along. The bike ride really made our whole family feel special.
That was two years ago. Last year things were a little different. Mike asked Bailee to come back as the honorary lead in the parade, but this time there were more bikes! A lot more bikes! And the HOG chapter paid for a space in the zoo and gave out motorcycle stickers and stamped the hands and arms of the kids with motorcycle-related images. It was a funny contrast between the cute little kids in strollers and wagons and the HOG chapter members in black leather jackets. The HOG table was definitely a popular stop for the kids – it was a real hit! 
Bailee & Mike at the Zoo
If you did the JDRF event last year, you already know how satisfying it is to donate to such a great cause and enjoy the day at the zoo. If you didn’t I would like to personally invite and encourage you to join in the fun. The zoo is gorgeous in fall. The date is Sunday, September 24th. Meet at the House of Harley at 8:30 am for registration. The minimum tax-deductible donation of $25 is appreciated but for $150 or more, you will be entered in a drawing for a Midwest Airlines vacation for 4. It would be really cool to see the number of bikes grow even larger than last year. Trust me; you won’t regret it and families like mine appreciate it more than you will ever know.
Kathy
“Never be afraid to do something new. Remember, amateurs built the Ark; professionals built the Titanic.”
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