Landon Morgan is raising awareness about type 1 Diabetes

About three years ago, Landon Morgan of Corral de Tierra was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Previously known as juvenile diabetes, it's usually diagnosed in young people and it's caused by the body's inability to produce insulin.

Landon's mom, Stephanie Morgan, produced this video describing her son's illness. He has to check his insulin eight to 10 times a day, and could die if he's not watchful. But Landon's a champ, Mama Morgan says, and he does not object to the frequent pricking of his skin.

In honor of his son, Morgan's promoting "Claws for a Cause," an annual lobster dinner/dance/auction to help raise awareness and money for a cure. All proceeds from the event go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and last year, the event raised over $10,000.

"My son will never outgrow this," Stephanie Morgan writes. "He can't eat a magic diet or exercise more to reverse it. He will be insulin dependent for the rest of his life. That is the reason for Claws for a Cause- to being awareness to our area and help be part of funding research for a cure."

Like most third graders in Monterey County, Landon started school a couple of weeks ago. Unlike many of them, his mom was praying everything would run smoothly for him. This is what she wrote about the occasion on her Facebook page.

"The day after tomorrow Landon starts third grade. I'm so happy for him. But do you know it's not like sending my other son off to school. I have to meet with his teacher before school starts so that I can teach her about him checking his blood sugar, go over a schedule of when he needs to check himself, teach her about what a "high" and a "low" are and how to treat them, teach her how to use a glucagon shot to save his life, and hope that every paper I copied and placed in a folder for her to reference makes sense and doesn't scare her off . I'll drop him off on Wednesday in his cool new clothes and the excitement on his face of being a third grader, and I will pray. Pray that it goes well, pray that the excitement of the day doesn't mess with his numbers too much, pray that nobody makes fun of him, and pray that everything I keep trying to teach him will keep him safe. I will pray..."

"Claws for a Cause" will take place at 6 pm. Friday, Sept. 6,  the Amaral Barn, 23616 Parker Rd., Salinas. For more information, call Stephanie Morgan at 601-5721 or email her at stephmorgan48@gmail.com