JDRF walk

I've gone a week+ without my home computer. Kyle figured out that the problem was the monitor (not the harddrive, so yea!), but it's been strange to have a silent screen staring back at me for these many days. Yes, I have a laptop, but strangely, my hands get very tired when I use it & I don't like to use it to email. The feng shui is off, I think. I need to get a mouse for my laptop. Also, I'm set in my ways. I can understand why writers (Philip Roth?) continue to use typewriters in the age of computers. I'm not a typewriter user, but I like the machine I know.

Anyhoo, E.J.H.L. is back online.

We participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for a Cure event this past weekend in Houston. It was pretty amazing to see SO many folks out and about, all affected by type 1 diabetes. Graham enjoyed reading one team's name on the backs of their t-shirts: The Finger Prickers.
"They do that too?" he said. Yes, there was a great sense of camaraderie!

Kyle, Leighton, Casey & I were the assigned walkers, but lo & behold (thanks to Casey's urging), Graham joined us and completed the 3 mile trek around Reliant Park. There were apples, bananas and glasses of water at several stops, so no one was potassium deprived. We are already making plans to include Annie next year. Kathy, Gammy & Annie had fun at the family tent, however, since Annie had the jumpy castle to herself. That's a treat.

I had envisioned a track with serious walkers making good time. The reality was people of all ages and sizes walking and chatting. Lots of folks were on scooters or skates while others pulled wagons and pushed strollers. It really was a family event.

We were invited to walk with the The Flying Ms team (hence the logo on the t-shirts). Lynn Gibson, the team captain, is a dynamo and the team raised over $5000 for JDRF research, thanks to her efforts. There were hundreds of other people there, and it is awe-inspiring to think of the money raised. I never was one to follow medical breakthroughs too closely, but I have joined the ranks of those who follow findings. Anytime I see a "Diabetes" headline, I'm there.

In fact, this recently NYTimes article [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/health/16diab.html] reports one researcher's findings that the skeleton is part of the endocrine system. Wow.

Lynn's 9-year-old daughter Meredith (they live in Baytown and know the Littlefields) was diagnosed just a few weeks after Graham, and Graham LOVES having a "friend" who understands the annoyance of injections. He's only met her twice, but considers her a great pal.