Madi wins a Heart of Gold Award

Our latest Heart of Gold Award winner is an amazing 13 year old named Madi. "Madi works tirelessly as an ambassador for the American Diabetes Association, to raise money for a cure. She was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was 5. Madi has organized and implemented many fundraisers to raise money for her walk team, Madison's Prayer. Madi has been team captain of her team since she was 5. Madi not only holds annual events like her "Skate 4 a CURE" but she also makes and sells individually handcrafted journals that she has named "Journal magic". ALl proceeds from the sale of her journals goes to help support people with diabetes and to help find a cure. Madi works hard in public advocacy for people with diabetes, meeting yearly with her congressmen and representatives to keep them abreast of the needs and complications of living with diabetes. Madi puts together and distributes bags that she delivers to people who are newly diagnosed. She sets up information booths at community events to share information about diabetes and she has spoken at many public events as well. Madi is determined to do all that she can to beat diabetes! Nothing gets in the way of achieving her goals!
However, this fall something nearly did. Madi was diagnosed with a relatively rare disease, Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis and Ulcerative duodenitis. To make a long story short, this disease of the white blood cells, eosinophils, has caused extensive damage to Madi's stomach and has robbed her of her ability to eat foods by mouth. For the last three months Madi has been tube fed an elemental formula to allow her body to heal. She will hopefully begin the long road back to eating soon. At this point she is healing, and we are hopeful that she will return to school soon. She has been on homebound instruction for three months. None of this has broken Madi's incredible spirit, and it has not gotten in the way of her goal to help cure diabetes. Although this "new" disease is not curable, and it is not related to her diabetes in any way, she is determined to fight it as well! Madi is blessed with a joyful. giving, spirit!"