Woman works to help boy with diabetes
MIDDLESEX TWP — When Ellen Liebold went on her third mission trip to Honduras, she expected to work on the usual projects of medical examinations, water purification, and mosquito netting in an impoverished neighborhood.
But when a boy named Joseph came in to be examined by the medical team with the mission group based out of the First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown, Liebold was saddened by his staggering diabetes issues.
She said Joseph, 11, registered a blood sugar level of 500 when 100 is normal. Joseph’s mother said at night, his levels drop to 30 or 40, and she can hear him crying in his bed.
Liebold said while his mother administers several insulin injections per day to help level out her son’s wildly fluctuating glucose readings, only an insulin pump could keep his blood sugar at the steady level that would allow Joseph to live and grow like any other preteen.
“We talked about what we could do,” Liebold said, “and the way to give Joseph a decent life would be an insulin pump. But they cost $6,500 there.”
Not one to shy away from a challenge or let a fellow human being suffer, Liebold began planning a fundraiser for Joseph.
A spaghetti dinner fundraiser will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday at the Valencia Presbyterian Church, 80 Sterrett St., Valencia.
Proceeds will go to buy an insulin pump for Joseph.
Asked why she would organize a dinner for a boy who is thousands of miles away, Liebold explained that diabetes can damage the heart, circulatory system, kidneys and other organs.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Liebold said. “He’s a little 11-year-old boy. Isn’t this what God tells us to do?”
Lisa Kramm also is a member of the Valencia Presbyterian Church, where everyone is familiar with Liebold, who is a great-grandmother.
“She is the sweetest lady in the whole world,” Kramm said. “She’s incredibly caring. She would do anything for anyone.”
She said Liebold has been involved with several activities at Valencia Presbyterian, where she works hard to put into action the directives in the Bible.
“She never lets anything get her down,” Kramm said. “She has such a positive spirit.
Kramm also will help with the spaghetti dinner.
“Every single penny we raise is going toward this insulin pump,” Kramm said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to make a difference in this little boy’s life.”
Liebold said Joseph will need the pump if he is to survive the conditions in his native land.
“He is going to have a very, very hard life,” Liebold said. “He’s in a Third World country.”
Tickets for the dinner can be bought at the door, or in advance by calling the church at 724-625-2002.
“I hope lots of people come out to the spaghetti dinner,” Liebold said.
