Ashleigh's Story
Written by Ashleigh's mom Tammi
March 9, 1995 ended the way of life we had come to know for the past 26 months. After having had yet another ear infection and then a sinus infection, we thought the reason Ashleigh was drinking so much was because of the decongestant and antibiotic medication she was taking. And if she was drinking more, then naturally she was going to the bathroom more. It was Ashleigh’s child care provider (who was also Tammi’s cousin) who “tested” Ashleigh to see just how much water Ashleigh would drink. After drinking 32 oz. of water straight (and leaving the rim of the glass imprinted on her forehead), her thought to be chapped lips pinked up and then 5 minutes later looked chapped again and Ashleigh asked for more water. When Russ picked Ashleigh up that evening and heard what was experimented earlier that day, he took her to her primary care physician office……and well the rest is history.

Having diabetes has introduced Ashleigh and our family to many opportunities that we otherwise may not have ever come to know. We walked in our first JDF Walk for the Cure (as it was known then) in 1996. We developed Ashleigh’s Angels the next year and have raised over $100,000 for a cure for diabetes in the last decade. At age 4, Ashleigh spoke at the kick off luncheon and it was then we knew stage fright would not be an issue for our charismatic daughter. At age 5, Ashleigh saw an insulin pump for the first time and SHE asked Dr. Wood at every visit for the next year and a half if she could start on the pump. When Dr. Wood said he would allow her to go on pump therapy, being one of his youngest patients to start on an insulin pump at that time, Ashleigh leaped off the table. On March 17, 2000, she started on a Minimed 508 and within the first year, her A1C dropped almost 3 points.

We never wanted Ashleigh to feel different from her peers and she has always made others feel at ease with her diabetes management. When Tammi offered diabetes education to her school teaching staff, Ashleigh would add her own thoughts on how they could best help her. A high school friend of Russ’, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes twenty years prior, heard how Ashleigh tested her blood sugars at a minimum of four times a day and she didn’t understand why he rarely checked his at all. He purchased a more updated meter and continues to check his blood sugars at least daily. When Ashleigh’s grandfather was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, she worked with him on carb counting, treating lows, and needing to test his blood sugars. Ashleigh has applied to be a representative for the Children’s Congress each year it has been offered. When they come to see the influence she can have on others by “telling her story”, she will convincingly tell anyone who will listen in Congress how she will be conducting research one day to find her own cure and they better not limit her finances in being able to do such.

Ashleigh will become an official teenager in December. Within the last year, she has started wearing glasses and got braces. She is in the 7th grade and has been on the A Honor Roll since 4th grade (when Fremont Public Schools started giving letter grades). Ashleigh is a Cadette Girl Scout, cheerleader, softball player, youth choir member, oboe and bass musician, and has earned her blue belt in karate. She places God first and others second ahead of herself. She enjoys hanging out with her grandparents, watching television, playing on the computer, reading, and scrapbooking. She now uses an Animas 1200 insulin pump and is waiting for an implant pump to be her next form of diabetes management. Her A1C has been in the 6.5 – 7.5 range for the last 3 years. She rarely has a low or high blood sugar that is not explainable and as long as she remembers being a diabetic and all that entails, she will continue to be in great health.

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