This is a cause that is not only near and dear to a good friend, but also near and dear to my heart, so I hope you’ll take a moment to listen.

In 2005, Melody Claussen-Furry took her 11-year-old son Christian to the ICU and found out he had Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in children and teens, and if you’ve ever known someone with Type 1, you know that they are usually the ones who have to deal with insulin shots and have to spend the rest of their lives managing this disease.

A good friend of mine at my old job used to give himself an insulin shot while sitting at his desk at work. He’d pinch his stomach, and boom, there went the needle. It was unnerving to watch. And he did this every day I saw him at work.

(As a note, Type 2 diabetes is adult-onset diabetes, the type that can develop when you have a poor diet or are managing your health poorly. My dad is a Type 2 diabetic, and diabetes is prevalent in our family in general.)

To help fight diabetes and find a cure, Melody (also the proprietor of Handmade Luck* and a member of the Sacramento Craft Mafia), opened up a shop whose proceeds will go toward the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

You may visit the shop, called The Sugarcube Society.

Right now, you will find a lovely selection of jewelry like this:

Vroom Vroom necklace

Spring Pearls earrings

If you are interested in donating items to be sold in the shop, please e-mail Melody at handmade.luck (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Melody and her family and friends will also be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes in Sacramento on October 7, and you can also help the cause by making a donation here.

Tags: charity, diabetes, jewelry, the sugarcube society, walk to cure diabetes