Chiricahua Chihuahuas, CCHCI Type 1 Diabetes Support Group, joins with DHS National Honors Society to raise funds and awareness

By: Sarah Pacheco, Public Relations and Media Specialist for CCHCI

Published in the Douglas Dispatch October 26, 2016

TUCSON, AZ (October 2, 2016) – For the past 5 years, Chiricahua Community Health Center Inc.’s (CCHCI) “Chiricahua Chihuahuas” have participated in the annual Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s (JDRF) walk and fundraising event held in Tucson. The walk is held in order to help raise money and awareness for Type 1 Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes is a disease that can affect anyone and is not related to diet or exercise. It usually is diagnosed in childhood and it is not curable. This year, the Chiricahua Chihuahuas had help in raising funds from the Douglas High School National Honors Society.

Dr. Darlene Melk reached out to the National Honors Society once she learned they had been looking for a service project to do in order to help the community. Dr. Melk was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at eight years old. Her condition was something she was embarrassed about and, she hid from her peers until she was in her adult life. She started the Chiricahua Chihuahuas Type 1 Diabetes Support Group in March of 2012 in order to provide support to families affected by the disease. She said, “It is emotional support, but is also educational so that parents, caregivers and those living with Type 1 Diabetes can find commonality.”

Kiara Hernandez, DHS National Honors Society president said that Dr. Melk met with the club officers and gave them a “Type 1 Diabetes 101.” She said, “It riled up the club to commit to this cause.”

JDRF mailed the club the paper cut outs of shoes to sell for $1.00 per shoe. The club raised $577.15 for Type 1 Diabetes research by selling the shoes. Additionally, 14 National Honors Society members traveled to Tucson on October 2 to participate in the walk.

Diana Martinez, the National Honors Society club advisor said, “They are the ones that make the decision on service project.  The kids really took the service project to heart and it was worth it to be here.”

The Chiricahua Chihuahua team was over 50 people strong with the friends and family members driving up to show support of those in their lives affected by Type 1 Diabetes. There are currently 29 members of the support group with Type 1 Diabetes, the majority of which are children. These children have to depend on insulin injections or use an insulin pump for the rest of their lives.

Alexa Gonzales is a 15 year old support group member who has participated in the walk for 4 years. She said, “Attending this makes me feel better that I’m not alone.” Her entire family came up to support her.

Aneliz Gomez, is also a 15 year old support group member who went to Tucson for her second time to participate in the walk. She said, “This helps me to know others know the difficulty that I go through. Having to check bloods sugar every hour and deal with needles can be hard.”

Her mother, Karina Gomez, brought the entire family and a few friends up from Douglas to show their support for Aneliz. She said, “We love doing this, not just for my daughter, but for the community. We come here and see we are not alone.”

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the leading global organization funding Type 1 Diabetes research. Opportunities to assist in their mission are ongoing past the annual walk. For more information please visit the webpage: www.jdrf.org. The Chiricahua Chihuahua’s primary goal is to lessen the burden on children and their families living with Type 1 Diabetes by providing support and education. For more information on how to participate in the Chiricahua Chihuahua’s support group visit www.cchci.org, or call 520-364-5437.

George Gomez, the 13 year old brother of Aneliz Gomez was adamant that all could be a part of the support and fight against Type 1 Diabetes. He said, “Every person that comes will help to stop this disease. If we support this, we can help get a cure.”

Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. is a mission-driven Federally Qualified Health Center and is a tax exempt not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It was founded as a grassroots community effort in 1996 as a makeshift clinic in Elfrida’s small community center and has since grown to be the largest primary care organization in southeastern Arizona. Chiricahua Community Health Centers currently has seven clinics in Bisbee, Douglas, Elfrida and Sierra Vista and three mobile medical units that serve Cochise County.