Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis

Hello, my name is Jenna! I have created this fundraiser because life changed drastically on December 26th 2022 for my husband and I.

A little back story on me! I used to weigh 320lbs and went on a healthy journey starting at the end of 2017 and lost 160lbs! I got into running in 2021 and 2022 and ran multiple half marathons and races with my husband. We were planning to run a full marathon in 2023. And then, life changed over night. At the end of 2022 from November-December I started noticing small things that I didn’t think much of, symptoms that make sense now. On December 26th 2022 I was admitted to the hospital after initially going to urgent care where I discovered I was in diabetic ketoacidosis and diagnosed with diabetes which I have now since found out is Type 1 diabetes. There is nothing to prevent or cure type 1 diabetes as it is an autoimmune response where your body attacks the insulin producing cells in your pancreas. It is not affected by lifestyle or diet and there is nothing you can do except manage it with insulin therapy! I spent 4 days in the ICU and since then have been learning about my new diagnosis with many ongoing appointments! New costs including diabetes supplies, insulin, etc. This is something that my husband and I never thought we would have to deal with but here we are handling it with grace as best as we can. God has been good through all of this and we are so grateful for all the love and support. Grateful I’m alive and grateful we are getting answers and learning how to manage this new diagnosis that will be a new lifetime challenge for us.

While our insurance and church have covered our big expenses from the hospitalization, we are facing new expenses we never thought we would. People have asked if they can help and we would rather have a fundraiser available for anyone who does want to help! And we are grateful for any help!