When Andy was 13 years old and in the seventh grade, he got an assignment to write a report about a disease that affected someone he knew. Of course, he chose Type 1 Diabetes because his grandfather, uncle and younger cousin all have it! While he was working on his report, he realized that he had a lot of the symptoms. Less than a week later he was diagnosed. Here is a poem he wrote for school shortly after:

467

467, the number that changed my life
On that cold, dark Tuesday.
When 467 showed up,
I felt my heart do a flip.
So I tried again.
467 again.
Then I knew that not only my heart,
But my life had flipped too.
I hugged my dad
Silently crying,
Along with my grandparents,
Mom, and sisters too.

Soon my uncle was there
So I tried again.
And the glucometer said
My blood sugar was 455.
Still way too much.

So I sat down,
And watched a basketball game.
While my mom moped around
With my grandma.
And my dad told me
How my life would change
But it would be okay.

Soon I was at the hospital
With lots of sick people
In a big room
With a gory sitcom on the tv

It was then I was officially told
I had diabetes.
And I knew,

How 467 changed my life.

We made Andy's quilt when he was 15 1/2 years old. He's learning to drive and is playing high school basketball, football and track. He just started pumping. He's got a great attitude and sense of humor. He always tries not to let diabetes change his life.

Andy's younger cousin Amy is Quilt Block #11