Olmstead School held its annual walk for juvenile diabetes on December 4, 2015. Four hundred students in grades kindergarten through eighth walked the halls of the school for thirty minutes as part of awareness of the disease. “Our students are really supportive of this cause partly because they have a face to Type 1 diabetes. We do this in honor of Anna Silvey, a sixth grader at Olmstead,” says Coach Buddy Wright, the PE teacher.

Anna was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November 2007 when she was just 3 ½ years old. Angie Silvey, Anna’s mother, says, “When first diagnosed, it was devastating, life changing. We went through the what-ifs, what to expect long term. It was such a shocker. We had to adjust to food changes and medication. She was so little, and when we had to check her sugar before and two hours after she ate, I had to put band aides on all her fingers. It was hard. Once we got past that period, then we started to get involved to fight for a cure.”

Mrs. Silvey was approached by Coach Wright to have an annual drive for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Eighty percent of funds raised are put into research for a cure. Each year Olmstead students raise money for the cause and participate in a school wide walk. Olmstead is one of only 35 schools statewide that participate in this event, which they have done since 2009. This year, Olmstead students raised over $2500.

“We have come to realize that our sense of survival has kicked in. With that, I mean our sense of finding a way to live a strong healthy emotional life with diabetes on board. Anna’s blood sugar can skyrocket one minute and drop very low the next. To look at her, you wouldn’t know it. She always has a smile on her face. It’s not okay to live with a disease that is constantly assaulting her. That’s why we continue to help look for a way to find a cure. We are so grateful for Olmstead School and their support.”