Wylinn starts Kindergarten!!

Wylinn looks ready to head out for her first day in Kindergarten at St. Mary's School in Danvers. New adventures and friends await!

Of course every princess has a trusted personal escort to bring her to school.

Wylinn's smile is still as bright as ever... even without those 2 front teeth!

Hope the tooth fairy was generous.

A Quick Glimpse...

Pre-School Graduation

Wylinn is ticket master at the Latitude 43 Fiesta Event!

Ti Ti and Me

Wylinn is all smiles after a dip in the pool.
She wears her trendy new "tiara" with such style & grace!

Wylinn was a great help to Grandma "Glousta" when she was opening her presents at her birthday party. How old are you now...?

So sweet!

Wylinn's Wish in the JDRF National Newsletter!

Recently all of the diligent work, planning and effort that has been going into raising funds for Wylinn's Wish was recognized by an editor for the JDRF National Walk e-newsletter, as a motivational and uplifting story worthy of sharing with other people and families affected by Type 1 Diabetes.

Joanne Thompson, works on a National committee to help with walks around the country as well as sharing people's stories through her editorials. She contacted Terry after hearing about the Wylinn's Wish bags and Terry's deep desire to help find a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

The story touches on the discovery of Wylinn's diabetes in April of 2008 and the measures taken by John and Stefani to start to gain control of the diabetes. It also talks about the beginning of Terry's mission to find a cure by raising $5000 and doing the Boston Walk to Cure Diabetes in October 2008; a mission that has now grown into a year long endeavor to continue to spread awareness as well as raise money to find that cure.

The story also mentioned Wylinn's discovery that Nick Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers band) also has Type 1 Diabetes and how that helped encourage her to cope with the daily routine of treatment that people with Type 1 endure. Perhaps one day Wylinn can tell Nick herself how much he unknowingly helped one of his fans while she was adjusting her lifestyle.

The editorial is just further proof that the energy, creativity and love that goes into all the work behind Wylinn's Wish is truly paying off in so many ways. The mission is to find a cure, and a cure will be found with the continued efforts and support from family and friends of Our Special Princess, Wylinn. Good things can happen when people join together in an effort to make what begins as just a wish... become a reality!

Outdoor Fun in the Summer Sun

Endicott Park Day was a great success. We were able to sell many of our bags and stars, while getting the word out to people about Type 1 Diabetes. Wylinn had a great time and the weather was fantastic!

Wylinn enjoyed playing of course, but her specially prepared picnic lunch was worth stopping for... to get the energy she needed to KEEP ON PLAYING!!

Wylinn and some pals staying cool by the pool!

Hugs & Bubbles!!

1 cake for you.. 1 cake for me! Can you guess who the bigger one is for?

A little water and a lot of love... Our Princess just continues to grow up so fast!!

Graduation and Recital

Wylinn gets her diploma for graduating from Pre-School. Now she's on to bigger and better things!

"Ti Ti" Ann Marie, gets Wylinn all dolled up for her dance recital...

Little Superstars!! Check out Wylinn (3rd from left) striking a pose!

Wylinn's 5th Birthday Party!!

Wylinn's birthday was May 6th and the family celebrated at Bugaboo Creek for dinner. To encourage her love for photography, I gave her a camera and accessories. Now she can officially begin her photography hobby. Here are some of her photos taken at the Butterfly Farm. Fantastic shots for a 5 year old!

On May 9th, Wylinn celebrated with her cousins and friends at the Endicott Park barn in Danvers. The weather was great for an outdoor party. The children enjoyed the activities outside with hula hoops (yes, they're still around from the 50's) and running under a huge parachute.

Next they ate birthday cake created by cousin Abigail who researched a recipe that was sugar free and fit into the country theme with bright flowers and bugs on the cake. Of course, John served ice cream sundaes. Each child got to create their own sundae with lots of toppings.

Samuel enjoyed the party too even though he is in a cast on his entire right leg due to a hairline fracture. Nothing was stopping him from enjoying the excitement of the festivities at Wylinn's birthday bash!

"grandma, I'm 5 now!"
Our Princess Wylinn is growing so fast... I'm amazed at her each day.

Trip To Disney World

In January, Wylinn, Mom, Dad, Samuel and "Grandma Glousta" flew to Disney World for a week of fun, sun and of course Mickey Mouse.

Wylinn started the vacation having breakfast with Mickey, Minnie and Donald Duck. Naturally, she loved the Mickey Mouse waffles that were calculated into her carbohydrate diet allowance.

Next it was off to the rides! It's a Small World was a big hit with Wylinn who loved the dolls, while the boats and water ride was a favorite for Samuel. The Carousel with it's beautiful horses was another favorite on the trip.

Each day was a whirlwind getting to Disney World to eat our three meals and tour the park. With all of those miles of walking, Wylinn needed to closely monitor her blood sugar and carefully plan her meals and snacks. Wylinn loved all of the special attention she received from the restaurants. She was treated like a real princess. The Head Chefs would come out to the table to ask Wylinn what she wanted to eat and then created her own special meal. Two of her favorites were the side salads and sugar free brownies.

A memorable night for the family included dinner at Cinderella's Castle.

Wylinn is a little girl who loves glamour and fun. At Disney, she felt extra special after a trip to the hairdresser, a beautiful face painting and some good old fashion bargain shopping.

Our trip took us on a Disney Safari to the Animal Kingdom that Wylinn and Samuel loved! One of Wylinn's hobbies is taking pictures with Grandma's camera. Here's some of her shots of the flamingos and giraffes.

Safaris are really HOT so the family was happy to cool down at the hotel pool. Wylinn loves to swim and swimming in January is twice the fun if you get to do it in a new bathing suit! Even with all that exercise, Wylinn was still able to keep her diabetes stable thanks to the diligent attention of her parents.

Wylinn and Samuel really like Disney movies, so a trip to Hollywood Studios was our next destination. The children walked through movie and TV recording sets and got to meet the characters of Toy Story and Dora the Explorer. Being right next to so many of the Disney characters that she had watched in movies, put a big smile on Wylinn's face that lit up the room. The family favorites were Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and Alice in Wonderland. All of the Disney characters that we met autographed Wylinn's special juvenile diabetes backpack which she carries all of her diabetes supplies in.

Well that's the trip in a nutshell. I tried to give you a feel for how exciting and fun for the whole family our Disney trip was. I must be honest... I'm keeping the "mini-meltdowns," temper tantrums and the unexpected (usually in the most inconvenient places) diaper changes more private. Trust me... you wouldn't want to know the details!

Thank you for reading our first blog. I hope you can see how your support of Wylinn, her parents and me, her grandmother; helps us cope and focus on keeping life as normal as possible for our Special Princess.

All About Wylinn

Wylinn Rose Palmisano

Born: May 6, 2004

Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes: April 14, 2008 at the tender age of 3 years old.

Type 1 Diabetes is an Auto Immune Disease that can strike children and adults suddenly.

In Type 1 Diabetes the body mistakenly DESTROYS the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Wylinn will be insulin dependent until a cure is found.

Parents: John and Stefani

Brother: Samuel Louis - born October 29, 2007

Pet: Nick the dog

Wylinn's Favorites

Color: Blue

Food: Pizza

Music: Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers

Song: Best of Both Worlds

Vacation: Disney World

Stuffed Animal: Kung Fu Panda

Book: Go Dog Go

TV Show: All the Disney programs

Hobbies: Cooking with grandma, dancing school, photography, swinging at the playground, swimming in the pool, playing with her cousins Jacob and Joseph.

Wylinn is a normal active 4 year old girl interested in a variety of activities and pre-school learning. Her parents John and Stefani have adjusted their family life for raising a child with Type 1 Diabetes who is insulin dependent. Wylinn's life is scheduled around her Diabetes. She tests he blood sugar 4 times a day and requires insulin injections 4 times a day. All of her food calories are closely calculated to ensure that her carbohydrate, protein and fat levels are in perfect balance. Everyone in the family is on a schedule and Wylinn's new lifestyle leaves no room for error. Samuel will grow up thinking that counting carbs and a planned lifestyle is normal.

This blog is a way of updating you on Wylinn's growth and development as well as her adjustment to life as a Type 1 Diabetic. Over the past year we have received tremendous support and caring from all of our relatives and friends in our efforts to raise money to find a cure for Diabetes.

Thank you for your showing you care by reading this blog and contributing to our fundraising efforts.

Please think of Wylinn as OUR LITTLE PRINCESS!