Laraine Pritts

Tucson, Arizona

I lost my son to type 1 diabetes at the age of 34. He was diagnosed with diabetes before he had even turned a year old. That was in 1975. They didn't have blood test machines for home use at that time. It was more of a hit and miss test, using urine strips to determine his blood sugar.

I had hoped he would be able to beat the odds and live until an old age, but eventually, complications from the diabetes caused him to have a heart attack.

I received the call that he had died at 8:48 on Oct. 28, 2008. I want to find a way to prevent this from happening to other parents and children.