Nearly 1,200 Walk To Cure Diabetes At Storm Stadium

“Papa, I will hold onto it for now, but later you can give it to kids without candy.”

That’s what 5-year-old Tommie Eubanks requested her grandfather do with a small bag of sweet treats she received during a church event last Halloween.

Tommie already understands and accepts her situation. Seven months ago, the little girl with light brown hair, rosy cheeks and shy smile was diagnosed with type I diabetes.

In her own way, Tommie is helping her family adjust by minding doctor’s orders.

But she is also, unknowingly, helping raise awareness about type I, or juvenile diabetes.

Tommie and 18 of her family members – Team Tommie as they called themselves -- were among 1,200 people who turned out Saturday at the to participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s “Walk to Cure Diabetes.” All proceeds from the event – approximately $100,000 -- will go to JDRF's research efforts.

The Eubanks family turned out for the event wearing tutus on behalf of Tommie, who loves to dance. They joked about the attire but the family’s commitment to the cause is very serious.

“Most people think it’s simple. ‘It’s just diabetes,’” said Tommie’s grandmother, Vicky Moore. “But it’s life-changing. Watching what she goes through -- she’s an amazing kid.”

“We’re very new to this,” said Tommie’s mother, Dani Eubanks. “Our lives have been turned upside down, but we’re learning to adjust.”

Tommie’s body doesn’t produce enough insulin, so she gets hooked up to an insulin pump. Her tiny little fingers are pricked multiple times a day to check her blood levels.

Tommie will never outgrow her situation unless a diabetes cure is found. And if her condition isn’t managed, she could die.

Saturday’s event, however, demonstrated that kids with type I diabetes can achieve the insurmountable.

Kaitlyn Malarkey, 15, is no ordinary kid. The outspoken, articulate teen from La Verne is a JDRF youth ambassador. She attends the organization’s board meetings, volunteers her time to JDRF events, and in June she’ll travel to Washington D.C. to campaign Congress about the importance of stem cell research in finding a diabetes cure.

Kaitlyn does all this while managing type I diabetes.

“I was diagnosed when I was 2 ½ years old,” she said. “I am really a normal kid -- normal in the sense that I don’t let diabetes defeat me.”

According to Tamara Moreno, executive director of JDRF’s Inland Chapter, Kaitlyn and others like her are motivated by a united goal.

“They tell me, ‘We want to be known as kids without diabetes,’" Moreno said. “These kids are my heroes."