Many of us may intend to get out, do good and give our time to better others’ lives, but sometimes busy schedules get the best of us. However, both Melissa Litke and Susan Mustian have put their feet — and bike tires — to the pavement to raise awareness and funding to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.
“We are proud to announce our 2019 Volunteers of the Year,” smiles Melissa Newman, executive director of JDRF’s Southwest Ohio chapter. “Each year we honor two volunteers who have given their all — one from the northern and one from the southern areas of our chapter’s territory.”
Both Litke and Mustian have been personally affected by type 1 diabetes. Mustian was diagnosed as a young adult and Litke discovered her daughter, Hannah, had the disease when she was a child.
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, which is needed to move the sugars cells’ need for fuel. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 cannot be treated by a change in diet and physical fitness regimen.
“I got the news when I was 23,” remembers Mustian. “At first, I wasn’t overly concerned because I thought it wouldn’t be difficult to manage, as I had family members who also had diabetes and I never heard them complaining about it. Those initial instincts sure were wrong!
“I soon found out that type 1 diabetes is very serious and requires my attention nearly 24 hours a day, even when I sleep. The mental, physical and emotional energy needed to manage the disease is significant and is a financial burden. I’m fortunate to have good health insurance, but access to insulin for some is a serious and costly problem.”
Although Litke doesn’t have to worry about managing the disease for herself, she was forced to experience type 1 diabetes through her child.
“When we first got the diagnosis, I was honestly just happy to finally know what was wrong with Hannah,” says Litke. “But when we got home from the hospital and started to get back to normal life, the feelings of being completely overwhelmed with what our new ‘normal life’ was really set in.
“With type 1 diabetes you have to take everything into account. We’ve had to adjust Hannah’s insulin dose based on her class schedule and which classes stress her out. I also realize that as a parent, even as close as I am to being on top of managing the disease, I don’t know everything that my daughter takes into consideration each and every day.”
As type 1 diabetes rearranged the lives of Litke and Mustian, both women decided to do something not only for themselves and families, but for everyone living with the disease, by volunteering at JDRF.
Beginning as a volunteer in 2012, Litke joined the JDRF Ride to Cure cycling and fundraising team and has completed five JDRF National Rides with her family. In the past year, Litke has started the “Type One Support for Greene County and Beyond” support group.
Mustian has been involved with JDRF since 2011 by serving as both a member of the board of directors and as board president. This will be her ninth year on the Cincinnatians of the Year Gala committee, as well.
“I have very much enjoyed my time with JDRF so far,” says Mustian. “I’m proud of the work we have all accomplished together, the fundraising and engagement records we set on very lean budgets. The integrity of an organization with an efficiency rate of nearly 80 percent is incredible and worthy of our time, money and effort.
“Being on the Gala committee is always fun. I mean, who doesn’t like throwing a great party for a worthy cause? One moment I will never forget was during one of the Gala’s Fund A Cure segments; I was emotionally overwhelmed by the generosity in the room. It hit me that everyone there was giving to help people like me.”
Litke also enjoys being able to fundraise to help find new technologies to help people manage the disease, and she hopes that research will eventually lead to a cure.
“It really doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since Hannah was diagnosed eight years ago,” says Litke. “But thinking back on how we treated type 1 diabetes in 2012 and the way we are now, I can see the incredible progress that has been made in that relatively short amount of time. That’s what keeps me coming back to volunteer more and more with JDRF.
“Volunteering gives me a sense of purpose. I’m not a scientist and I won’t be the one who will find a cure for Hannah, but maybe by volunteering and riding my bicycle, I will be able to keep the lights on in a lab that can find a cure.”