Amarillo group fills gap left by juvenile diabetes foundation’s closure … – Amarillo.com

Courtney Warren arrived at the Amarillo offices of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation two years ago with her sister and 3-year-old nephew, Bray Jones, who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after a test revealed his blood sugar was six times the normal amount.

Warren remembers how her family struggled to understand Brays diagnosis, and she said learning to live with a Type 1 child was exhausting for the family.

Warren said the family leaned on JDRF at the time. So, when the foundation closed its West Texas Plains branch in October to redirect funds for more research, Warren joined with a group of concerned parents of children with Type 1 diabetes and past JDRF executive board members to develop a group to help fill the gap.

Now Warren is vice president of Type One Area Diabetics Support, or TOADS, which launched in Amarillo last week under the 501(c)(3) umbrella of the Family Care Foundation. One of the new organizations primary goals is to make sure families are supported.

You dont sleep at night, Warren said of having a young family member with Type 1 diabetes.

You have to test your kid every two hours to test their blood sugar, and theres a thing called dead in bed where they have really low blood sugar and then they just basically fall into a coma and pass away.

Its horrible and really scary, she said

TOADS five-goal plan is to provide support, education, Continuous Glucose Monitoring device drives, tactical kits for hospital visits and scholarships for diabetes camps and eventually college.

Warren said she met with a family last week whose son was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Just the fact that they were there, they were scared and we met them that alone is worth it, Warren said. They have someone they can lean on and have a group they can go to.

Warren said she also wants to go into schools and educate children about why they shouldnt see shame in a Type 1 diagnosis.

TOADS is planning its first large fundraiser this fall, Warren said, and theyre hoping to raise $100,000 for local support.

We just want to help the Type 1s and their families because its a scary diagnosis, Warren said.

We dont have a cure yet, and JDRF is the leading research (group) in the world. ... I do believe they will find a cure within my nephews lifetime, but we just want to help people in the meantime.

Until theres a cure, we are here to help you understand it, help you get the device you need and information and education you need.

What is TOADS?

Type One Area Diabetics Support, or TOADS, is a new organization formed to fill the gap left when the West Texas Plains branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation closed its doors in October. TOADS offers support, education, device drives, tactical kits and scholarships to type 1 individuals and their families. For more information, visit their Facebook page facebook.com/fcftoads or call 806-567-8005.

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Amarillo group fills gap left by juvenile diabetes foundation's closure ... - Amarillo.com