Student To Take Part In JDRF Walk

Written by Karen Gellender Friday, 19 October 2012 00:00

Boy with Type 1 diabetes walks with family to raise money for diabetes research this weekend

Each day, 40 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the United States. One of those children was Gabriel, a third-grade student at Berry Hill Elementary School. Almost two years ago, Gabe was diagnosed with T1D; a slender child with a healthy diet and no history of juvenile diabetes in his family, his illness came as a complete surprise to his parents.

“It was a huge shock to all of us, but, for our son’s sake, we put on a brave face and jumped head first into learning everything we could about the disease that had changed our lives forever,” said Julie Rubinsky, Gabe’s mother.

While Gabe’s life with T1D obviously includes many challenges including insulin injections and even hospitalizations, according to Rubinsky, Gabe decided to take the focus off himself to do something good for everyone with this disease. That’s why Gabe and his family have formed a team, GABE’S BABES (and Guys Too!), that will be taking part in the JDRF Walk To Cure Diabetes on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. at Eisenhower Park. The family seeks to raise funds to help JDRF achieve its goal of improving the lives of all people affected by T1D by accelerating progress on the most promising treatments and possible preventions.

As of this writing, the team has already raised over $6000 for T1D research. Those who wish to donate to Gabe’s team to help everyone with T1D can do so by visiting www2.jdrf.org: pick New York State, then search for GABE’S BABES (and Guys Too!).