Nearly 500 people turned out for the second “Must Dash for a Cure 5K” in San Marcos this weekend for diabetes awareness month.
The event, started last year, benefits diabetes research. Janet Gidner, who is very close to the cause, was at the event on Sunday.
"It follows us on vacations, it never gives us a break,” Janet told NBC7. Her daughter was diagnosed with juvenile type 1 diabetes as a baby.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease with no cause or cure where the body attacks its own pancreas.
Nine-year-old Addison depends on a glucose monitor that she tracks 24 hours a day.
"It’s mind boggling the math that we have to do every day,” Janet explained. "We hear beeping all day.”
It’s a full-time job especially since Addison’s four-year-old brother also has type-one diabetes.
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"Just knowing that they're going to live with this disease for the rest of their lives is heartbreaking,” Janet said.
The family has an entire cupboard just filled with supplies to “keep our kids healthy and alive."
"It’s like a child drowning in a pool and we're pulling them out to rescue them, “she explained.
Most of the families who ran the 5K are affected by the disease in one way or another but hopefully a few steps closer to finding a cure.
