photo provided

The Wimberly family in Team William gear. From left: Sally Clarke, Chris, Susie and William.

photo by Stefan Rogenmoser

William Wimberly, 5, holds up a sign at a Bethany UMC bake sale to raise money for diabetes research.

photo provided

William Wimberly will lead TEAM William in a walk to raise funds for diabetes research Saturday.

Summerville Elementary kindergartener William Wimberly is like any other kid his age –except he has to watch what he eats.

William, 5, has Type One Juvenile Diabetes, an auto-immune disease he was diagnosed with at age three. There is no known cause and no known cure, his mother Susie Wimberly says.

One in 400 children are afflicted with juvenile diabetes, Wimberly says. The disease attacks beta cells in the pancreas. William has to test his blood-glucose levels before meals and before bedtime. He also has to take insulin shots.

Thankfully for William, he has plentiful support and asks his mother if he can eat French fries before he takes a bite.

“He can eat anything, he just has to take insulin,” Wimberly says. “As he grows he’ll take more insulin.”

His mother says he can prick his own finger and check his own levels. He’s been testing himself for a year and is now able to sense if his levels are low.

His parents keep the “sugar bag” lunchbox close by. It contains snack juice, glucose tablets, small syringes and a glucometer.

William visits Medical University of South Carolina’s pediatric hospital in Charleston every three months to get an average reading for hemoglobin A1C.

His father, Chris Wimberly, is a family physician at Summerville Family Practice on Cedar Street, where William’s grandmother is also a nurse. His two uncle’s are also physicians and his entire family is trained to take care of him.

His father detected the symptoms immediately . . . unquenchable thirst, dry mouth and frequent urination.

“We knew right then it would be a lifetime of this,” his mother says. “He should live a long and healthy life.”

William’s teacher, Sheree Young, was also diagnosed with Type One Diabetes when she was three. Young’s classroom assistant is also a Type One Diabetic.

His mother says it makes going to school much easier since there is an adult that knows exactly what William is going through.

“Sometimes in the middle of the day they tell me to check my sugar to make sure it’s OK,” William says.

Telling William to check his sugar reminds Young to check hers, Young says.

“It’s been awesome because it’s been helping both of us,” Young says. “It’s great to explain to the other kids. The kids don’t look at William as being any different.

“Other kids will ask if William can have a sugary snack. If he’s not ready they’ll wait for him.”

His mother says William is gregarious. William runs around playfully and still has fun like kids his age. He plays basketball at Bethany United Methodist Church and soccer at the Summerville Soccer Club.

William has the same birthday as his younger sister, Sally Clarke Wimberly. William was born June 1, 2006 and Sally Clarke on June 1, 2008.

TEAM William

On Saturday, March 5 TEAM William will participate in their second Walk For A Cure on Daniel Island.

The walk raises money for the Palmetto Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). JDRF is the biggest donor toward diabetes research, Wimberly says.

TEAM William has raised money through bake sales at Bethany UMC, with food donated by friends and the Junior Service League of Summerville. Funds are also raised with superhero themed red t-shirt sales, his favorite color.

“We’re a family team,” Wimberly says. “We’ve grown each year. Our main goal is to raise awareness.”

TEAM William also participated in two walks in Columbia before the one on Daniel Island began last year with about 12 family teams participating. William’s favorite part of the walk is the jump castles at the end. Fifteen Summerville area businesses are selling Walk For A Cure green paper sneakers at $1 a piece to help raise research funds.

“William likes the attention and the idea of TEAM William.”

Registration beings at 10:15 a.m. and the walk at 11 a.m. at Smythe Park. The walk is free, open to the public, family-friendly and fun activities include a pony ride.

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