A Mother's Perspective: Polishing Off Juvenile Diabetes

Diabetes Made Our Lives Screech to a Halt

Hello, my name is Debbie Winner and I have lived in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles, my whole life. I am married and have two great daughters, Bryanna and Cassidy.

One day my fast-paced world came to a screeching halt. I noticed that my 3-year-old daughter began urinating in bed at night after being toilet trained for almost one year. I didn't really think much of it at the time. About two days later, I realized that she was also drinking a lot. Being a special education teacher, and having a cousin with diabetes, I immediately contacted my husband, and said, "I think something is wrong with Cassidy." She was acting totally normal except for the drinking and urinating. I took her to her doctor the very next day. Since she was acting normal, he didn't think she was sick, but sent us for the blood test anyway. Sure enough at about 6 p.m. that evening, the doctor called me and told me to get her to the hospital immediately. WOW, no parent wants to hear those words! When we arrived at the hospital, her blood sugar was so high that it didn't even register on their monitor. But again, the doctors still weren't sure because she was acting fine. Most children feel sick upon being diagnosed. Once they confirmed that Cassidy was indeed a type-1 diabetic and would need insulin injections for the rest of her life, my husband and I had no choice but to pull ourselves together and learn everything there was to know so that she could lead a normal life. We left the hospital four days later completely terrified that we could kill her if we did something wrong.

I found Silpada Designs in September 2006 at a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) 5K walk in Oxnard, CA. Since I am a shopper, I of course had to look at all of the vendors. I bought my very first piece of Silpada that day and decided to have a party. Why wouldn't I host a party with 30% FREE jewelry as an incentive?

The night of my party, I fell in love with Silpada. I love the sterling silver, but even more, I love the fact that the company raises money each year specifically for JDRF. To date, Silpada Designs has donated close to one million dollars to JDRF.

At the time of my party, the school district that I worked for had been talking about a strike. I needed a back-up plan. I decided that there was no better way to earn extra cash, have fun while doing it, and most importantly help find a cure for the disease that made my life come to a halt three years prior. So I become a Silpada Designs Representative!

Today, Cassidy is almost nine years old and wears an insulin pump 24/7. She eats most everything that she wants in moderation, loves to play sports, especially softball, and is a happy child. Plus, she has taught others about her disease and what she has to deal with that most kids don't worry about, like how to read food labels! So, please join me and Silpada in finding a cure for diabetes, my daughter deserves a healthy childhood!