Caliente optometrist Josh Terry ran the Boston Marathon in honor of his daughter, Kycie Terry. HIs wife Jamie met him near the finish line.
On April 18, Josh Terry, Optometrist at InVision Eye Care in Caliente, ran the Boston Marathon in honor of his daughter, Kycie Terry. Kycie passéd away in July of last year at age 5 from Type 1 Diabetic complications.
Kycie’s story not only touched the lives of our community but the entire nation. Her parents Josh and Jamie Terry who live in St. George, Utah, publicly shared her battle with the after-effects of a critical condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, also known as DKA. DKA is a result of excessive high blood sugars, in Kycie’s case from undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes, which eventually claimed the life of their only daughter. The Terrys five sons.
Since Kycie’s death, the family strives to create awareness of the symptoms of DKA in hopes to prevent other undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes deaths in children. The Kisses for Kycie facebook page (found at https://www.facebook.com/ kissesforkycie/) is approaching 65,000 followers. “We have records of over 200 children that have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes after their parents recognized the early signs from reading Kycie’s story,” Josh said. “Type 1 Diabetes is no joke. It can come suddenly, unexpectedly, and it can kill you. It is vital to diagnose before DKA.”
He added a list of some of the signs and symptoms for parents to watch for – excessive thirst, frequent urination, sudden weight loss, fatigue and flu-like symptoms.
The Terrys first heard of Team Joslin in April of 2015 when a member, Olivia Carter, a resident of Boston who knew of Kycie’s battle, approached them and asked if she could run in Kycie’s honor. The Terrys sent her a few of Kycie’s bracelets and Carter ran the Boston Marathon for Kycie.
Shortly after Kycie’s death, Carter again contacted Josh and asked him to join Team Joslin. The group has been participating in the Boston Marathon for over 10 years. It consists of 12 individuals who share a strong passion to find a cure for diabetes.
The Boston Marathon can be entered by running a fast enough qualifying time, or by raising enough money for a qualified charity, as the Terrys did. Team Joslin and approximately 30,000 people from all over the world gathered on the 18th to run the storied marathon.
Josh announced he would run the race in December, and he began physically preparing and fundraising for the 26.2 miles. “I never considered myself a runner, and this was my first race,” he said, adding he chose to run the race to find a cure for Diabetes 1, to honor his daughter’s port and donations his family received from our community and all over the world during their unfortunate loss.
Josh said the memory of his daughter is what got him through the grueling event. “This was physically the most difficult thing I have ever done,” he said. “The race was hard, there were a couple of times when I got emotional, and she was with me, she was right there with me. For 26.2 miles it was just me an Kycie.”
Josh finished the race in 4 hours, 54 minutes. His wife Jamie joined him at the finish line with a big hug and kiss.
The fundraising for the race currently totals over $13,000. This superseded the $7,500 charity minimum to enter. All will be donated to the Joslin Diabetes Center.
Founded in 1898, the center is world-renowned for its expertise in diabetes treatment and research. With 30-plus faculty-level investigators, Joslin researchers are dedicated in finding a cure for Diabetes 1 and 2 and related complications.
Joslin is an independent non-profit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School and a federally-designated Diabetes Research center. Joslin Research compromises the most comprehensive and productive effort in Diabetes Research under one roof than anywhere in the world.
