JDRF One Walk to end T1 diabetes//Courtesy Loretta Ishida
Commentary There was a war going on in Rodgers Forge recently. It was waged with copper and silver-colored coins and the fight was for a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D).
The Rodgers Forge Elementary School Student Government organized a fundraiser to support JDRF, an organization that seeks ways to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. The fundraiser was a Penny War, where each class competed against the others to collect change.
The school has supported other charities such as the American Heart Association and the Assistance Center of Towson Churches. But JDRF is special to some RFES students. My daughter, now at Dumbarton Middle School, was diagnosed with T1D when she was in the 4th grade. When you enter the diabetes world, you hear horror stories about schools: teachers who marginalize T1Ders during school parties because they can’t eat sweets (which is not true), insufficient nursing staff, unwillingness to administer an emergency injection, etc.
I’m happy to report, RFES is a dream school for children with T1D.
The day of our daughter’s diagnosis, the famous Nurse Gail Shapira put us in touch with two other RFES families affected by the disease, and the three T1Ders crossed paths daily when they stopped for their check in before lunch. Not only has our family found support through our connection with the three friends, but we have been showered with love and support from the school community.
Gail Shapira not only helped the girls deal with their almost daily highs and lows in blood glucose levels, but she even wrote them into the 2017 school musical as doctors in the future who found a cure for T1D. Our daughter’s teachers were willing to learn the warning signs of dangerous highs and lows and ensured she treated those conditions right away, and at the same time, treated her like all of the other students to make sure she had a “normal” student experience.
Mrs. Katie Lark was our daughter’s 5th grade teacher and went out of her way to educate herself about T1D. This year, the other two T1Ders have her as their teacher. Having now had three T1Ders pass through her classroom, we invited her to join our JDRF One Walk team, now banding together for our third year. She alone has raised hundreds of dollars from her friends and family and as advisor to the Student Government, she pitched the idea of the fundraiser to them. That got the whole elementary school is involved, pillaging the family change jars to win a penny war.
These amazing students, teachers and staff raised $1,269 — all in change! We even heard that area banks were running out of pennies. (Our team is still taking donations through June if anyone is interested in helping!)
Residents of Rodgers Forge know what a great place this is to raise our families. Neighbors look out for each other. Our elementary school is truly a neighborhood school with educators and staff who consider the students “their kids.” I wanted to share yet another story that has rooted us even more deeply in this caring community.
Thank you to the Rodgers Forge Elementary family for rallying around my family!
-Loretta Ishida