It wasn’t long before Ashley was on her way back south to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Mom, Kelly and step-dad Mark Gunderson got some shocking news for New Year’s. Ashley had diabetes.
“It was scary,” said Kelly. “Questions flood your head. It’s not like braces. This isn’t something that’s going to go away. You want to be able to make this better.”
Life changed for the whole family while they waited for Ashley’s condition to stabilize and to see if any long- term damage had been done.
“The first two weeks we got up in the middle of the night to check her blood sugar,” said Kelly.
“I have to count my carbs and take insulin four times a day,” said Ashley. “Sometimes it can be really frustrating, taking the time to do everything.”
Fortunately for Ashley, she began receiving treatment in time. Since then, life has been pretty much as normal… for the most part.
“I do cheerleading for basketball and football. I played golf this last spring. My dad and grandpa golf so I just tried it. I’m not that good,” said Ashley. “Everything is pretty much the same. School is a little different. My friends usually get to go out and play at recess. My friend McKenzie Haenes usually stays in with me.”
The ordeal has helped Ashley to learn some things about herself.
“I need to be patient. Everything will be just fine,” she said. “I’ve learned to go with the flow and not have to have everything so right in order.
“I think that having diabetes it’s OK for me to live with it. My mom is really worried about me.”
She’s also trying to help others with her condition, raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation — events like a car wash Friday where her friends volunteered to help out. She’s hoping to find a cure. That’s something that makes Mom happy, too.
“The doctors tell us that they are confident that they will find a cure in Ashley’s lifetime,” she said.