2006 JDRF Walk

Dear Friends and Family:

It's the time of year again for the JDRF Walk to Cure Juvenile Diabetes! We had such a great turn out last year and are hoping for your support again this year!

A lot has happened since last September. Ethan has not had any seizures due to low blood sugar! His insulin pump has helped to keep that under control. A great deal of research has gone to developing an artificial pancreas and a continuous glucose monitoring system. We are hopeful that as Ethan grows these could be some tools that will help him live life more normally. JDRF helps to support this research.

For being three years old, Ethan sure has managed the bothersome side effects of being diabetic pretty well. There have been some negative realizations this year for us, though.

If you were to ask Myah what it is like to have a brother with Diabetes she would say: " I don't want my brother to have Diabetes." She has a hard time being with us when we change his pump, and has to deal with Ethan's mood changes due to his sugars.

Ethan has said things to us like "I don't want you to change my pump. I want to be like all the other kids. I want to be like everyone else." As parents... that one really got us. We didn't realize that, at three years old, Ethan even knew that he was different.

It is hard for him to stop playing when other kids are running hard...when he has to stop to eat or drink something, to have his pump suspended, to give him insulin and to have fingersticks done. As much as we may not want to face it, the fact that we have realized this year is that, although life for us is as normal as it can be, for Ethan... life is different and he is different form other kids. That is difficult to explain to him and heartbreaking as well.

Please consider joining Ethan's Entourage this year to find a Cure. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes will be held on September 15, 2007 at Schenely Park in Pittsburgh. You can feel really good about knowing that over 80 cents of every dollar raised by JDRF goes directly towards diabetes research education.

To join Ethan's Entourage on Walk day, please visit www.jdrf.org for a quick registration. To support our team with a gift, please send checks payable to JDRF to me at: 110 Trevilla Street Morgantown, WV 26508 by 09/12/07 (please note Ethan's Entourage in the memo section). Credit Card donations can be made online at www.jdrf.org.

Please select Ethan's Entourage as the team name and Amy McAlister for the Team Captain. Also, if you ask 5 friends for a $5.00 donation you'd be surprised at how quickly you can obtain a $25.00 donation!

I thank you again for your energy and generosity. Our wish is that our son will see a Cure in his lifetime, and we appreciate the efforts and support from our friends and family in making that wish come true.

Truly,The McAlister's
Sean, Amy, Myah (7) and Ethan (3)

Go Ethan's Entourage!!!!

Forever..............

thank you

for all of your support last year!

the love of so many

friends and family

help keep our

little guy strong