[ORDiabCoalition] Stories from kids and adults living with type 1 diabetes.

[Ashlee Whitehead]

Please reserve your tickets now for this amazing event!

 


Well Arts Institute Takes a Stab at Type 1 Diabetes

 
The Well Arts Institute, an arts-in-healing theatre company, presents
Stuck: Walking on Needles, stories from kids and adults living with type
1 diabetes. The show runs January 7-11, 2009.  Performances are
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:00 p.m. and
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. at Portland Actor's
Conservatory, 1436 SW Montgomery Street in downtown Portland. Tickets
are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. Groups of 10 or more
receive a 10% discount. For tickets, call the Well Arts Institute at
503-459-4500 or on-line at www.wellarts.org.
 
The Well Arts Institute promotes wellness by using storytelling and
theatre to help people living with chronic illness and traumatic life
events. Over the past nine years, Well Arts has worked to spread healing
and educate the community about conditions such as cancer, multiple
sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and
people in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. 
 
This winter, they focus on children and young adults with type 1 (often
called juvenile) diabetes. 20.8 million children and adults (7% of the
population) have diabetes. In the United States, 15,000 youths under the
age of 20 are newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes annually. Although
diabetes cannot be cured, it can be controlled. A healthy pancreas
produces insulin, a hormone that the body uses to change glucose in the
blood into energy. Since people with type 1 diabetes can't produce their
own insulin, they must put insulin into the blood stream through
injections or an insulin pump. They are "stuck" with needles a number of
times a day and "stuck" in this routine for life.
 
Working in partnership with groups such as the American Diabetes
Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Well
Arts Institute recruited young writers from ages 9 to 17 and adults with
type 1 diabetes to participate in a 10-week workshop. The group, which
also includes parents and siblings, met weekly to explore creative
expression around the concept of "living with juvenile diabetes" through
writing, mask and movement exercises. The resulting stories are compiled
into a humbling, heart-breaking, and often humorous look at the daily
regimen of the art of living active lives when you or a family member
has type 1 diabetes. 
 
As one of our writers, 9-year-old Lili Morrisey said, "Diabetes sucks!"
Lili, who was an ambassador for the JDRF Walk this fall, attended the
workshop with her mother Michelle Freedman who adds, "Diabetes is the
monster under the bed." Other writers include Portland director/actor
Louanne Moldovan and her daughter Alex Morrison (age 11) and Alex's dad
David Morrison, Patrick Gaughen, JT Whittaker (13) and his mom Jill
Whittaker, sisters Maya (9) and Gillian (11) Bergmann, 17-year-old
Felicia DeFrancisco, who was diagnosed when she was two years old and
her mother, Debbie DeFrancisco. Well Arts Institute is also partnering
with Oregon Children's Theatre, who is providing youth actors from their
Young Professionals Program. Diane Englert directs the production.
 
###
 
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Diane Englert:
971-570-5710,  <mailto:dianeenglert at teleport.com>
dianeenglert at teleport.com or Valerie Moore: 503-459-4500,
<mailto:val at wellarts.org> val at wellarts.org, www.wellarts.org
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/ordiabcoalition/attachments/20081229/6b710886/attachment.html>