Michelle and Julia Balobeck

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Julia was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in March 2006 at the age of 4.

When I asked Julia why she "wants to stop diabetes" she said "so other people wouldn't have to get shots or have black fingers from the tester." After four years of testing on her little fingers ten times a day her fingertips are turning black. This is something she thinks is important.

She doesn't have any real idea of the complications that could lie ahead for her...those are the reasons I want to stop diabetes.

We try to maintain a healthy diabetic lifestyle of diet and exercise but it's hard for a seven year old to not want to eat birthday cake on her birthday and it seems unfair when she can't.

Diabetes is a very controlling disease. It tries to control everything in your life from what you can eat to your physical activities to how you see yourself! We are trying to stop diabetes in our life by taking control of it instead of it taking control of us. Everyday we try to achieve a day of good glucose numbers with testing and diet.

I think it helps if we focus on one day at a time. Seven good days make a week and so on. For me the most controlling thing about diabetes isn't the diet or life style change it's the fear and anxiety I live with everyday worrying about what will happen to Julia years down the road.