Get Moving—#FlossingForType1
Editor’s Note: Amy and her daughter Navi invite you to join them in #FlossingForType1! Post a video of yourself or your loved one Flossing, support the fundraiser, and challenge your friends! Don’t forget to use the hashtag: #FlossingForType1!
On Monday August 3, 2015, my daughter, Navi, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It wasn’t how her doctor’s appointment was supposed to go. I was going to joke with our doctor that I really didn’t have time for a sick child, we had so much else going on like moving for the second time in six months. We were going to laugh about it and I would say I was just kidding. Navi, the boys and I were going to leave the clinic, maybe with a prescription, maybe not, and she would get better like she had in the past. But instead, when our doctor told me the results of the tests, my ears started ringing, my eyes went blurry and I wondered what the heck I was going to do with the crock pot of food I had sitting at home on the counter. Our whole world changed in an instant.
Three years later and we are well acclimated with our “normal.” Type 1 diabetes is just a small part of my our life. Not the main part but not a forgotten part either. It’s always there, ever present and requiring perpetual attention. Because I have a habit of trying to fix problems, I’ve always wondered what I could do to “fix” type 1 diabetes for my baby. The only solution for type 1 I could settle on was to find a cure. Since my field of study is not science research, my way of helping was to work to raise funds for research to find that cure. With that settled, I just had to decide on how to raise the funds.
Within the last year, Navi started doing a silly dance move around the house, in stores, at the park and at her soccer games. She said the move was called the floss and she flossed just about anywhere, mostly to get a laugh out of me. It’s a funny move! As I was putting together my fundraising challenge campaign plan, I went through a few ideas on what the challenge would be. None of them were quite right. Then, Navi’s dad suggested the floss and that was it!
Flossing for type 1s main goal is to raise as much money as we can for type 1 diabetes research to find a cure. As I looked for a nonprofit to direct the donations to, Beyond Type 1 rose to the top of my list. Because of their mission statement, their record of research donation support and their fresh approach to raising money. (They do all kinds of cool, out-of-the-box things.) And finally, because of their unique structure, donation dollars aren’t used for operating costs. Hooray!
I finished my plan. We made our video and posted it. We are excited and hopeful. The cure won’t just help my baby but all people with type 1 and the people who love and care for them. We know working together is better than working alone. We can win in the end.
Show us your moves! Post a video #FlossingForType1, challenge your friends, and support Amy and Navi’s fundraiser for a cure!
