By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
Hays resident Lexi Pfannenstiel’s worst fear about having Type 1 diabetes is the fear she “won’t wake up in the morning.”
Pfannenstiel was diagnosed with the disease at age 9. Eighteen years later, her body does not produce insulin at all and it is common for her blood sugar levels to drop dangerously low in the middle of night – without her feeling it – a condition that can cause diabetic comas, seizures and even death.
In an effort to ease that fear and help others with the disease, Pfannenstiel and a group of Leadership students at Fort Hays State University are planning the “Step It Up for A Cure” awareness campaign and 5K glow run/walk scheduled during and after the Nov. 8 FHSU game at Lewis Field Stadium.
Pfannenstiel hopes the event will spur the fundraising efforts she used to see as a child growing up in Hays.
“We stopped having walks in Hays when I was in middle school I believe and I stopped really hearing about fundraising efforts and the research going on to find a cure for diabetes, to find new treatments,” Pfannenstiel said. “The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is who will benefit from our fundraiser and they are huge part of every Type 1’s life … bringing this project to the Leadership class really gets Hays and the Fort Hays community back involved in helping to raise funds to find a cure.”
Though Pfannenstiel, who wears an insulin pump and estimates she has had her skin pricked more than 86,000 times during her lifetime, admits living with the illness is never easy, she remains enthusiastic about life with her husband and 4-year-old son — and is committed to helping others who have diabetes.
“I get asked quite often why am I always so happy, and it’s because I don’t have a reason not to be. Yes, I deal with a chronic illness daily but while I deal with it, the illness is not who I am and I won’t let it define me,” Pfannenstiel said. “I am much more than that and it’s not about what the illness can do to me; it’s what I can do with having the illness.”
Pfannenstiel said informational booths on juvenile diabetes will be set up during the game, which starts at 2 p.m., and encouraged the community to stop by and register for prizes.
Pfannenstiel, is a full time FHSU student and works at Cervs in Hays. She said patrons can go to any Cervs location in Hays, Great Bend and Hoisington to receive a voucher for free entry into the Nov. 8 FHSU game in exchange for a $5 donation towards Step It Up for a Cure.
The 5K glow walk/run will begin after the FHSU football game at around 5:45 p.m.
For more information or to register, visit the Step It Up For a Cure Facebook page HERE, email [email protected] or call (785) 656-2324.
In order to receive at T-shirt for the event, registration is encouraged by Oct. 31, but late registration will be accepted as well.
Fort Hays State University leadership students, Jamie Boeckman, Emilie Atherton, Hannah Cornwell, Ashley Moore, Whitney Tilley and Erika Espinoza helped organize the event.
More information on the Step it Up for a Cure