At 5 1/2 years old, Ethan is really like any other little boy. He thinks playing with friends is the best part of preschool. He knows if dad says "no", to go ask mom. He loves playing video games, playing outside with his friends, playing soccer, watching football games with dad, and going to the park. Ethan also knows he has something called cystic fibrosis. He knows this is why he has to take pills before he eats, why his sinuses are so bad, why he has so many medications and therapies to do, and why he has special doctors.
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
My name is Emily and I'm 15 years old and a type 1 diabetic since February 21, 2000. The day I was diagnosed was all a little hazy, I just woke up to go to school, ended up throwing up and it only became worse the whole day. By night I was throwing up every 15 minutes no matter what, which is when I was taken to the hospital. There I waited for a really long time before they took me to see a doctor, but all I remember of that night was lying on a bed and going up an elevator before I woke up the next day in the hospital.
Chloe was born with only 2 heart chambers, no septum which separates the left and right side of the heart. One side of her heart was enlarged and the other was under developed.
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
My husband and I spent the first few days after the diagnosisat the hospital with Emma. The three of us were plunged into an intense course in biochemistry, physiology, and nutrition. Emma fought tears as she asked the diabetes educator, "Will I die? Will I be able to have children?"
The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s 2008 National Goodwill Ambassador is Abbey Umali of Redlands, Calif., a lively and articulate 8-year-old with a form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. “Abbey is precocious and charismatic,” MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis said.
Sharon Belvin was only 22 years old when she learned she had late-stage metastatic melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Despite undergoing a series of treatments that left her body ravaged and her spirit exhausted, her cancer kept coming back, each time worse than before.
At age 44, Christine Sable had few worries about her cancer risk, especially since no one in her immediate or extended family had a history of cancer. This mother of two, wife, and full-time real estate professional was leading an active, healthy life. But then she received some shocking news that sent her and her family into a tailspin. After a few months of minor, persisting symptoms—mild abdominal discomfort that she easily could have ignored—Christine made what she thought would be a routine visit to her doctor.
Javon and Jakayla 8 and 3 years old Diagnosis: Javon was discovered to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 2003 and his sister Jakayla was found to suffer from ALL in 2008. Javon and Jakayla's Story: When Javon was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. He underwent three years of chemotherapy at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Mikayla is 10 years old and is in the fifth grade at Trinity Christian School. For six years, she has been a Girl Scout and also participates on the cheerleading squad. After ten months of pain and barely able to move, Mikayla was diagnosed with pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when she was 3 years old.
Bradley was my third and last child. We had a healthy daughter and a son who was developmentally delayed and was receiving therapies and attending Easter Seals to help him catch up. Not having a "diagnosis" was extremely frustrating for me. When we found out I was having another boy, I told my husband that this one would be his athlete. God had other plans for us and for Bradley. At 4 months of age we found out that he has very little vision.
In August 2006, Heather Ziegler was busily preparing to move her family to Japan. The time had come for Heather and her children to join her husband, Chief Petty Officer Scott Ziegler, a 19-year veteran of the Navy, in Japan where he had been stationed for more than a year. It was during that hectic summer Heather noticed a lump on her son Roman’s neck.
Staff Sergeant Mark Thompson convinced the Army that having type-1 diabetes should not keep him from serving in Iraq. Thompson, 28, is an Iowa native. He has been married for nine years and has a son, Kyle, who is two years old. He has always had something of a travel bug, and it was this desire to see the world that inspired Thompson to join the Army. That, and the stories he heard from his college roommate -- an older student who had served in the Vietnam War. As Thompson listened, the Army started to sound like an adventure.
At 5 1/2 years old, Ethan is really like any other little boy. He thinks playing with friends is the best part of preschool. He knows if dad says "no", to go ask mom. He loves playing video games, playing outside with his friends, playing soccer, watching football games with dad, and going to the park. Ethan also knows he has something called cystic fibrosis. He knows this is why he has to take pills before he eats, why his sinuses are so bad, why he has so many medications and therapies to do, and why he has special doctors.
My name is Emily and I'm 15 years old and a type 1 diabetic since February 21, 2000. The day I was diagnosed was all a little hazy, I just woke up to go to school, ended up throwing up and it only became worse the whole day. By night I was throwing up every 15 minutes no matter what, which is when I was taken to the hospital. There I waited for a really long time before they took me to see a doctor, but all I remember of that night was lying on a bed and going up an elevator before I woke up the next day in the hospital.
Chloe was born with only 2 heart chambers, no septum which separates the left and right side of the heart. One side of her heart was enlarged and the other was under developed. 
The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s 2008 National Goodwill Ambassador is Abbey Umali of Redlands, Calif., a lively and articulate 8-year-old with a form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. “Abbey is precocious and charismatic,” MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis said. 
Sharon Belvin was only 22 years old when she learned she had late-stage metastatic melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Despite undergoing a series of treatments that left her body ravaged and her spirit exhausted, her cancer kept coming back, each time worse than before. 
At age 44, Christine Sable had few worries about her cancer risk, especially since no one in her immediate or extended family had a history of cancer. This mother of two, wife, and full-time real estate professional was leading an active, healthy life. But then she received some shocking news that sent her and her family into a tailspin. After a few months of minor, persisting symptoms—mild abdominal discomfort that she easily could have ignored—Christine made what she thought would be a routine visit to her doctor. 
Javon and Jakayla 8 and 3 years old Diagnosis: Javon was discovered to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 2003 and his sister Jakayla was found to suffer from ALL in 2008. Javon and Jakayla's Story: When Javon was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. He underwent three years of chemotherapy at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Mikayla is 10 years old and is in the fifth grade at Trinity Christian School. For six years, she has been a Girl Scout and also participates on the cheerleading squad. After ten months of pain and barely able to move, Mikayla was diagnosed with pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when she was 3 years old. 
