Winter Sports Recommendations

If we missed your accomplishments, call the Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section at 617-732-2603 and ask for Child Life.

Spring 2012

Adriana Dennis and her cheerleading squad, the Natick A-team, won 4th in the country at Nationals in Orlando, FL back in December. They were recognized at the State House by Natick representative, David Linsky.

The Cape Cod Charity Lunch Bunch gathers every month to pick a charity for donations. This past February, Claire Cahill, a member of the Bunch, suggested the playroom at Joslin. She says Joslin’s playroom helps her granddaughter, Anna Prokop, to have a positive outlook on diabetes. The playroom at Joslin was fortunate to receive $300 from this group.

Caroline Carter placed in the Top 10 in the Miss New Hampshire's Outstanding Teen pageant, a part of the Miss America Organization. Her platform is Diabetes Awareness. She hopes to spread her story and spread the message that diabetes does not hold you back. Caroline also loves to sing, play basketball and field hockey, and volunteers to work with children in her hometown of Dover, NH who have diabetes.

Anthony Melchionda is the senior baseball captain at Boston College. Every year, the Boston College Baseball Team gets the chance to play against the Boston Red Sox at spring training. Anthony attributes his success with diabetes to his parents, doctors, and nurses at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who he says have taught him that he can do anything, regardless of having this disease. “I learned to check my blood sugar often, and monitor the insulin requirements with my activity levels and food intake. I have had a positive attitude that helps me to be successful with my diabetes. I have learned that I am more successful as a baseball player and a student when my blood sugars are in the normal range.”

Winter 2012 Issue:

Olivia Proffitt was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in July 2011. Following her diagnosis, Olivia, her siblings, and friends held a neighborhood lemonade stand and raised $34.25 to support diabetes research at Joslin. From left to right: Emma Proffitt, Max Verheijen, Liesbeth Verheijen, Olivia Proffitt, Olivia Corina Gencarelli, Carolyn Gencarelli.

Mark & Meghan Foisy were ambassadors at the ADA annual Step Out Walk. They have been active advocates for the ADA since 2006 and they will continue to advocate, raise funds and educate through the ADA. Shown here with Vince Wilfork of the New England Patriots.

Madison Melendez and her family have hosted a Halloween Party for their friends and family for the past five years. Each year the Melendez family generously donates the money they raise from this event to support and improve the Joslin playroom. This year Madison and her family donated over $1,100 for activities and supplies for the playroom.

Vivian Hope Hanson, the granddaughter of Louise Crescenzi, Manager of Pediatric Operations, helped raise awareness of what it is like to live with diabetes. She collected $131 for pediatric research at Joslin by running a crazy sock day at her school, where students paid 50 cents to wear crazy socks for the day.

Daniel Bender Stern was the Fund a Cure speaker at the JDRF 29th annual Hearts & Heroes Gala. At the Gala, Daniel delivered a speech about his personal experience living with diabetes.

Lily Jeswald, Miss Preteen Massachusetts, collected 1,000 pounds of clothes and sold them at local consignment stores. A portion of the proceeds were donated to the Joslin Clinic. The remainder of the money helped send Lily to two national pageants this past August.

Benedict Hensley was a presenter at an educational panel about diabetes that was sponsored by the Westborough Rotary Club. Benedict spoke about diabetes from a young person’s perspective. “As long as I do what I need to do, diabetes will never hold me back.”

Meghan Gabel held a Diabetes Awareness week and fundraiser at her High School. Meghan & her team have been participating in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes for the past five years. This year Meghan’s team raised $150,000 for diabetes research.

Joslin’s Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section organized a Toys for Tots drive for Joslin Clinic and collected 11 boxes of toys to donate this holiday season for kids in need.

Fall 2011 Issue:

Joslin Patients Participate in the JDRF Children’s Congress in Washington D.C.

Several Joslin patients were picked to attend the JDRF’s Children’s Congress located in Washington D.C. this summer. Jackson Savage, Jonathon and Jordan Beals, Caroline Jacobs, Ellen Shaheen, Abigail Lore, and Emilie Gordon set out to advocate for themselves and their fellow friends with Type 1 Diabetes. The three day event allowed children from all over the country to speak to the representatives of the United States Congress about what it is like to live with Type 1 Diabetes, the risk of complications, and the ongoing need to fund research to find a cure.    
-Micaela Francis, CCLS

 
Jackson, Jordan, Jon, and friends at the JDRF Children's Congress

Connor and Evan Murphy:
Connor and Evan Murphy, both patients of Joslin, donated an assortment of games and crafts to the playroom. The playroom has made their experience at Joslin a positive and memorable one. Mom stated that, “It always puts a smile on their faces to go and hang out” and that, “It makes it much easier on us as parents during appointments.” The boys wanted to do something special for the playroom because they always have fun there.

Pediatrics was fortunate to receive a generous donation of books entitled The Jester Has Lost His Jingle, by David Saltzman, from The Jester and Pharley Phund. It is a story that helps children realize that even when they are feeling upset or frustrated with a chronic illness, laughing is an important coping tool. Please see one of the Child Life Specialists, Micaela or Jen, if you would like one of these books.

http://www.thejester.org/

Summer 2011 Issue:
"I want a cure for Aaron" - A cousin's wish:

Legos, action figures and video games are what six-year-old boys typically ask for when their birthday rolls around. Evan, however, wanted to raise money for diabetes research to help his cousin, Aaron. So, instead of presents for his sixth birthday, he asked for donations to diabetes research. With about twenty families in attendance, Evan was able to raise $409 for the JDRF. He has set quite the example for his classmates, who have since raised money for breast cancer research and the Make-A-Wish Foundation at their birthday parties.

Nick Gallop:

Seventeen year old Joslin patient, Nick Gallop, has hiked all 48, 4,000 foot mountains in New Hampshire. He has since been inducted in the Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain Four Thousand Footer Club. When Nick was a young child, it was his dream to climb the 48 mountains in New Hampshire. When he was diagnosed with diabetes at age ten, he and his family thought that was never going to happen. But this was not the case: “In some ways it didn't change at all because my parents and doctors at Joslin Diabetes Center wanted to teach me that I could definitely continue hiking despite having diabetes.” Next, he plans to take on mountains throughout New England.

Nick and his family on Mount Bond, August 2008

Brian and Timmy Curran:

The Curran Brothers, Brian (13) and Timmy (15), both Joslin patients, started a fundraiser called Skate for a Cure. Since their first skate fundraiser started back in 2004 the boys, with the help from family and friends, have raised over $50,000 for the Joslin Diabetes Center. Their organization is called Cure Diabetes Inc. Recently, they have also started donating money to the JDRF.

Eleanor Chesterman Beatson Child Life Care Ambassador Program

There’s a new sign in the Pediatric Section that commemorates the mother of Tom Beatson and the care she provided him after he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 68 years ago. The Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Foundation recently made a generous donation to the formerly named Child Life and Jumpstart programs. These programs have now been renamed the Eleanor Chesterman Beatson Child Life Care Ambassador Program in her memory.