Dancing for diabetes – DiabetesDad

Elizabeth Stein was diagnosed with T1D at age 10. Elizabeth did not like to dance, Elizabeth LOVED to dance. In 2000, as a neighborhood fundraiser in her Orlando community, she created Dancing for Diabetes. Diabetes would stop her…..from nothing.

Elizabeth holds her event every November, this year’s being number 16, to better the awareness of diabetes. I will write about the event in an upcoming article, but something happened at the event that I would like to share with you and Elizabeth, wanted me to share it as well.

Each year, at the start of the second act, young people, all with diabetes, present a dance number especially for them, this year there were 24 kids showing diabetes as Elizabeth has, will stop them from nothing….and dance they did.

The second act always begins with a video to make her audience better aware of an aspect of diabetes. Her awareness this year was about the missed diagnosis of T1D.
She interviewed some people about this and I was fortunate to be included. We knew what it was about, but was not told the entire story. You see Elizabeth also flew to Utah and interviewed the parents of Kycie, who we all knew from Kisses for Kycie.

This is 16 minutes long and be aware; it’s not an easy watch. But PLEASE know this; Kycie’s parents do not want this story to end, they want it to begin. They want, just as Reegan’s parents want, the world to know and to be aware of diabetes.

Yes, get angry, and surely feel free to cry; but when it’s over also know that you can help accomplish what Kycie’s parents want, what Elizabeth wants, what Reegan’s family wants—-to spread the word about T1D being missed as a diagnosis. Without anything further, I present Elizabeth Stein’s story regarding Kycie. Click Kycie’s picture to begin the video.

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Welcome. Here is your ticket to enter a fabulous world. I am absolutely exhausted. I am absolutely exhilarated. I am absolutely thrilled. For the past few months, we Suffolk County LIONs Diabetes Education Foundation members have been working on a project to raise money to do what we do to help people with diabetes.

Yesterday we held our inaugural Dancing for Diabetes at the beautiful Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The brain child of LION Frank Compoccio was to have Dance Schools perform all day long in groups of around five schools each, that way we would have dancers all day long. Interesting concept; would it work?

Well it worked indeed and over 25 schools participated along with 600 dancers of every age from 8 on up. Fabulous. These dancers were as good as you can get and as professional as one could hope. They volunteered their time; they danced; their parents donated and over a thousand people came. Over $22,000 was raised from the event—-JUST FABULOUS.

They sold tickets and when that was not enough they donated checks from their own school as pictured here.

As a parent of two children with diabetes, I was so moved by the professionalism, the spirit, and the willingness to help by all of the attendees.

Frank knew so many people in the ‘business of dance’ and they all volunteered their time. For my loved ones with diabetes, and for yours. JUST Amazing. Frank was fabulous.

Frank gave plaques to every school and certificates to every dancer….he said he wanted this event to be run professionally and it was. Here he thanks his fabulous crew who all volunteered for over 12 hours on the day of the event….so much more preparing

We do what we do for our loved ones because we do. People who do not have that personal connection and their love and support; well that will humble us to our knees. Enjoy seeing how so many helped our loved ones.

Thank you to everyone who helped and participate; the Dance Schools, the parents, those WONDERFUL DANCERS, and the Suffolk County LIONs Diabetes Education Foundation. On this day you made a difference and we, the DIabetes Community thank you from the bottom of our grateful hearts.

Enjoy some GREAT shots of the day.

These young ladies performed an incredibly moving
tribute to our fallen firemen

Very unique tribute to ‘a few elders’.

Faces of young dancers ready to go!!!!

They were as graceful…………

As they were dedicated to helping those with diabetes.

So many Volunteered their time.

And they kept dancing, and dancing.

Thank you all.
I am a GRATEFUL Diabetes dad.

Tag: Dancing for diabetes

NEWSBREAK: The Story of (Kisses for) Kycie; from her Mom and Dad

PLEASE Let These Wonderful People Know How Grateful we, as a Diabetes Community, are for their Efforts!!!!!!!