BY CONNOR BORTZ

Hadley George has been living with Type I Diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes) since she was diagnosed with the disease in 2004.

Things haven’t always been easy for George when it came to living with diabetes. “I wanted to fit in when I got to high school, which I thought was really hard to do with diabetes,” says George. “I felt that because I had diabetes I was somehow different from everybody else.”

“I felt kind of alone being the only one with diabetes,” says George.

Because of this, George created the group Type One Teens, a social group for teens living with Type I Diabetes so they can all get together in a social setting. “We rarely talk about actually having diabetes,” says George. “We really just like to hang out and get to know each other.”

Type One Teens is growing quickly, and the organization is hosting events more frequently as time goes on, but the next big event is the Believe in Blue Event at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden on Saturday, November 15 from 6:00pm-10:00pm. “I want to raise awareness for teenagers with Type I Diabetes,” says George. “This is our big event during Diabetes Awareness Month [November].”

Admission to this event is $35 and all proceeds go towards paying for the event and if there is money left over, it will go to teens with diabetes who can’t always afford the Type One Teens events.

But if the event is successful, the money raised next year will go to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Dinner and dessert are included in the price along with all sorts of entertainment.

The DJ from Cincinnati’s Q102 radio station will be in charge of the music for the dance, and other entertainment includes a vendor fair, photo booth, unique raffles, and a guest speaker. Also making an appearance will be Miss Idaho–Sierra Sandison–who also has Type I Diabetes.

Attendees receive four hours of community service that can go towards the 40 hours required by the high school. “Once you buy your ticket, you recieve a confirmation email of your ticket purchase,” says George. “You must have this and turn it in to Mr. Wolfford in order to get community service credit.”

The registration deadline for this event has been moved to November 8, and George encourages everyone to attend and to bring their friends.

Sign Up for the event at www.believeinblue.eventbrite.com.