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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, April 22, 2010 · 24 Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN By Jill Kwasniak SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Phone: 905-337-5560 Fax: 905-337-5571 e-mail: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com Elianna's Troops march for many reasons Elianna Walsh always has a smile on her face despite many health issues she's faced in her young life. The four-year-old was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was only 13 months old. Her mother, Cristin Walsh, remembers when her daughter first became ill. "We thought it might have been the flu or something along those lines," Walsh said. "Eventually, she stopped doing everything, but drinking. We really didn't understand what was going on." A trip to Emergency in Oakville led the family to McMaster where Elianna was diagnosed with type one diabetes. The family was put in touch with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). "They really put you in touch with ways to feel as though you're helping," Walsh said. "They're very close to coming up with a lot of, not cures I would say, but the artificial pancreas is one that would probably eliminate the finger pokes." Shortly after Elianna's diagnosis, the family joined the JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes. "This is our fourth walk," Walsh said. "She'll be five in July just after the walk. It's been a better part of her life that we've been involved with the JDRF." For the last three years, the Walsh family has been in the top 10 fundraising families for the JDRF. Last year, they raised more than $10,000. Elianna has been chosen as one of the youth ambassadors for the walk this year. She will be speaking briefly on the actual day of the walk. This year, Walsh hopes to raise the bar for fundraising. "We want to grow every year. The more we can give them, the quicker they can come up with ways to make Elianna's quality of life better. If we can reach $10,000 again and climb over it, I'll be happy." The Walsh family throws a few events each year to help with fundraising. "Our poker tournament, which is coming up on May 7, is probably one of the bigger fundraising events,"said Walsh, who noted joining the walk is a great way for people to help out, too. "It's $100. It's a great day," she said. In addition to dealing with Elianna's type one diabetes, the family has had to struggle with other health issues. "First it was the diabetes at 13 months. Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, just after her second birthday. It's unfortunate, but the celiac disease is manageable. It's just a diet change. Then shortly thereafter, she had a bad reaction to the flu shot. It's called Guillain-barre. She ended up with some major neurological disorders. Just recently, over March break, she was diagnosed with epilepsy." Walsh said her daughter's one of the happiest kids you'll ever meet. "She's always smiling," she said. "That's one of the things we want her to have by doing these events and having people involved and raising money. We don't want her to ever feel bad for her situation. We just want her to feel like she can do something about it. That's why we continue to do this." Walsh said there's a lot of misinformation about type one diabetes. "A lot of people think she'll grow out of it," she said. "People make comments to me like, `you know she's young, she'll grow out of it' or `she just needs to get exercise or eat differently'. It's a lot of misinformation. Type two diabetes and type one diabetes are totally different diseases." Type one was formerly known as juvenile diabetes. It involves early onset rather than the onset developing later in life. The poker tournament is Friday, May 7 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Oakville at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $65 for players/$40 for non-players. The Rummage Sale for a Cure will be held Saturday, May 15 at 8 a.m. at 1208 Garthdale Court. The JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes will be held Sunday, June 13 at Pier 4 Park in Hamilton. To donate to Elianna's Troops or sign up for the walk, visit www.jdrf.ca/walk For tickets or information about the events, call Walsh at 905-8421807. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER A REAL TROOPER: Elianna Walsh, 4, and her mom, Cristin.