Saturday.
We walked. We met friends. We smiled and laughed. We ate. We listened. We celebrated. We also sweated a whole lot!! (Southern California had immense humidity last week!)
We walked in the Ontario, California JDRF walk to cure diabetes for the 5th year with team
Kids That Care. Our faithful teachers came out to support the team once again. The team is headed up by our friend, K, who does so much for the cause. She was also recently appointed junior board member for the Inland Empire chapter. We're proud of her and proud to walk on her team!
 |
| K's mom, K and C |
|
 |
| Kids That Care |
|
|
We met friends...some, for the first time. You couldn't miss them! They were the largest team out there...all in black...ready to battle diabetes...Team Ninjabetic!
George had put the word out to the
DOC (diabetes online community) to join the team, raise money, and celebrate...20 years to the day of his type 1 diagnosis. He put the invite out there. And, they came. Boy, did they ever! I'm not certain of the final count, but probably 12-15 of George's fellow PWDs either drove or flew cross country to walk on his team. His team totaled over 60 people in all.
 |
| Look who we found! The Ninjabetic & Mr. Scott Johnson |
 |
| Cheering Team Ninjabetic! |
After the walk, we headed over to George's celebration. I don't think I'm going to do this thing justice in writing about it. I was quite overwhelmed. What support and love was in that room! We ate and talked and made real life connections with people.
Near the end of the party, George had prepared a presentation of sorts. Really it was his story...with diabetes. It was a glimpse deeper into his life. A new D mom friend and I talked as we both observed all that was going on around us. "These people are inspirational to me," she said. Yes. Do these people even realize how they inspire us parents of type 1s? They welcome us into their circle and let us see that our kids can have wonderful, full lives. And as Sara told me: "and that we grow up and do just fine and have fun!"
 |
| What a celebration! |
So of course, George, being the ninja that he is, included all PWDs there that day. He invited them to stand and introduce themselves along with the number of years each has lived with diabetes...little C included. He sang his song, Not By Choice. I had intended on taking more pictures. But I was quite lost in the moment. I sat there with husband and new D mom-friend and C next to me. Thankfully, it
was recorded. You can click
here to watch and listen, courtesy of Sara.
 |
| George sang his song, Not By Choice. |
 |
| D Mom Emily, me & Mr. Scott Johnson |
 |
| Thanks George, for including us in your celebration! |
Posts
So very awesome. Getting choked up this time at the words of your DMom friend - it's so true. The impact these adults have is impossible to put into words. Thanks for sharing. I'm enjoying reading all the stories about this great Ninja Event!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you stayed for the speech. It was something I really felt I needed to share with everyone.
ReplyDeleteThat day will go down as one of the happiest days of my life. I have never felt so much love and support! It was awesome meeting you and your family!!!
It was really fun for me to meet you in person after having chatted with you on Twitter so often! Your daughter and husband are wonderful too.
ReplyDeleteI too am so glad you came to the party, though I wish I would have spent more time visiting with you and your family.
The support and love in George's family is amazing, and that of the DOC is pretty great too. :-)
And holy smokes, I look like a roasted lobster in that picture! A little sunburn maybe? Haha!