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Sep 30, 2008 5:36 pm US/Eastern
Allens' Personal Connection To Diabetes Fight
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Shannon Allen and Walker
WBZ
Ray Allen, his wife and children were in Los Angeles when their son walker became ill. "I said to Ray, 'Something's going on with Walkie. I think maybe he has a bacterial infection or something. I said if he doesn't wake up normally on Sunday, I'm gonna take him in.'"
While ray went to Game 5, Shannon went to the hospital where a doctor told her their 18-month-old son Walker had Type 1 diabetes. "She said 'Your blood sugar is supposed to be between 80 and 120. Walker's is 639. He needs insulin and he needs it now or you're gonna lose him.' You know, Dawn, as a parent, it was the scariest moment of my life."
But just like her husband last season, Shannon was determined to win. "I haven't shed a tear about it. I haven't cursed God. I haven't said 'woe is me.' The truth of the matter is, Walker's here."
So on Saturday, Shannon's team of 30 people will walk on the Esplanade with 300 Boston teams that have already raised $750,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
The JDRF wants to raise $100 million nationwide to help families with research and one day, a cure.
For now, Shannon and Ray are managing Walker's life with 10 finger pricks and five insulin shots a day.
She hopes her team - "Walk for Walker" can change that. "My goal is to raise $1 million, which I'm not even close."
She's raised $20,000 in one month. And if she's anything like her husband, she's definitely up for the challenge. "We need to put diabetes out of commission. That's my goal."
There are 300,000 people affected by Type 1 diabetes in Massachusetts.
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