Pink Elephants for Ivy

This is my sweet little friend, Ivy. She was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes earlier this year. Her parents are dear friends of ours and we have been amazed at how brave and positive they have been as they have dealt with Ivy's diabetes and learned more about the disease. We love Ivy and we would love to be able to help in finding a cure for her and others like her. Ivy is my little friend that loves PINK ELEPHANTS so we have decided to create a PINK ELEPHANTS FOR IVY line at PaperDoll Designs. Between NOW and September 27th (the day of the JDRF Walk for the Cure) I will donate all profits from the PINK ELEPHANTS FOR IVY line to JDRF. Just choose to have the PINK ELEPHANT put on any of the PaperDoll Designs items and know that you are helping find a cure for IVY! If you look VERY CLOSELY you will see "Ivy" is written on the tip of the elephant's tail. It's so tiny you might not see it...but I know it's there and I'm going to tell her it's there and I think it will make her happy.

Here's a letter that we received from her family recently. My family hopes to be a part of Ivy's team. Come join us!



Dear Family, Friends, Co-workers, and Colleagues:

Lucy and I are sending this email on behalf of precious little Ivy, our 3 1/2 year old daughter with boundless energy and a joy for life. On Feb. 26th of this year she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Since that day we have learned a lot about the disease and the importance of finding a cure. Unless a cure is discovered, Ivy will be insulin dependent for the rest of her life. Since her diagnosis, she has endured at least 6 to 8 finger pricks a day and at least 4 insulin shots a day. In addition to her blood testing and insulin injections, we must track every carbohydrate she eats. In spite of all this, she has maintained an amazing attitude and been a real trooper in dealing with her condition.

As you can imagine, this has dramatically changed our lives. As parents, we feel the need to protect our children from the day they are born. We want to do everything we can to help find a cure for her. One day we would like for Ivy to know what it's like to NOT have to live with diabetes. It is our hope and prayer to avoid heart and kidney disease, blindness, amputation, and a shorter life span that is a reality for many people with diabetes.

However, please understand we are not asking for pity. We are blessed to have wonderful doctors, access to amazing medical technology, insurance, and a little girl with a strong will. In our attempt to encourage and support Ivy we have formed a team, IVY'S PINK ELEPHANTS (I don't know why but Ivy LOVES pink elephants), for the upcoming JDRF event in order to accomplish two things:
1) Raise money to support the research required to find a cure.
2) Provide Ivy with support and let her know that she is not alone in her fight against diabetes.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JRDF) is the #1 non-profit funder of diabetes research in the world. One of JDRF's largest fundraising events is the "Walk to Cure Diabetes". To achieve our goals, our team is walking in the upcoming 12th Annual JDRF Walk for the Cure taking place Sept. 27 (Sat) at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center.

If you are interested, there are three ways you can help us make a difference for Ivy:
You can join our Family team named Ivy's Pink Elephants, which consists of family and friends who collect pledges and walk with us.
Send your donation and contact others in your circle of friends, family, coworkers, etc. to donate as well. You can contact me for a pledge form.
You can send our family a tax-deductible contribution in any amount made out to JDRF or go to www.walk.jdrf.org, look for "donate to a walker", type in the required information, select Oklahoma, click "find a walker", and then donate. It's seems pretty easy but let me know if you have any problems donating online.
Even if you're unable to donate, please come join us for the walk. Your presence would mean a great deal to our family.

Please keep Ivy in your prayers, as well as others you know who may have diabetes.

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you at 41st & Yale on Sept. 27th.

The Wilsons
Layne, Lucy, Jonathan, and Ivy

I'm looking forward to making LOTS of Pink Elephants!!!