Kimberley Chisolm

“I had always had this sense that I had lived this charmed life. I was one of four kids and I grew up in Atherton and had very happy memories of childhood. My parents were happily married and we were a close knit family, life was fun. But even as a kid, I had this sense that something terrible was going to happen. I think part of it was that nothing terrible never had happened.” Writer, Mother and Vice President of Research at JDRF Kimberly Chisolm recounts. Settled comfortably on her family room couch Kimberly’s infectious gaze and bub-bly demeanor has me instantly hooked, leaving me hanging on to every last word that is spoken. Streaks of pink strands are woven through her platinum blonde hair adding a lightheartedness to Chisolm’s persona. Her three kids Quentin, 7, Aiden, 12, and Will, 15, maintain a strong presence in the house and the sounds of their dialogues can be heard from rooms away. A collection of carefully picked photorealism paintings adds to the aesthetically en-hanced decor of her cozy house set in the heart of Menlo Park. Suddenly Kimberly’s bubbly demeanor diminishes and her upbeat tempo halts to a slower rhythm. You can feel the pain encompass her as the next slew of words leave her mouth “..then suddenly the other shoe did fall.”

In the span of two years Kimberly’s family was hit hard with four medical emergencies. Her husband Bill’s intense athletic regime eventually took its toll and he was subject to an open heart operation. Closely after, Kimberley was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. Following her diagnosis came another shock, Kimberly’s mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer but was able to overcome it due to immediate medical attention. But it was her son’s Will diagnoses of Type 1 diabetes, an incurable immune disorder, that changed Kimberly’s life forever. Will, a fresh-man at Menlo High School, was diagnosed with Type 1 dia-betes on November 30, 2009. “It’s interesting because most people that have a child diagnosed with Type I diabetes re-member the exact date of the diagnosis. Suddenly your life changes in practically every single way possible”(Chisolm). Type I diabetes, is a lifelong chronic disease in which there are high levels of sugar in the blood due to the body’s inability to produce insulin. The body gets confused and attacks its own beta cells -- the cells that produce insulin-- located in the pancreas (Diego). WhenaskedaboutthedifferencebetweenTypeIand Type II Diabetes, a relatively defensive front comes up as Kimberly dismisses the societal stereotypes that come along with Diabetes. “I think theres a sensitivity in the Type I Diabetes community about wanting to sepa-rate Type I from Type II because Type I is not a result of lifestyle choices. Type II diabetes is usually the result of someone being overweight and is directly related to diet and exercise. With Type II Diabetes the pancreas is producing insulin but its not enough insulin. With Type 1 Diabetes, it’s not because you ate too much candy. This is no ones fault, its not because you are overweight, which was comforting on some level as a

parent for the doctor to say this has nothing to do with lifestyle this is an autoimmune condition.” Kimberly upholds a busy lifestyle, pursuing a passion in writing, dedicating hours to activities that intellectually engage her, such as reading and practic-ing the piano, remaining a devoted wife and mother all while caring for a son with Type I diabetes. She strays from the conventional familial feel and works to create an environment that is inviting and nurturing. Being able to observe a family dinner, I was able to sense the strong connection between the Chisolm family, and the prominent role Kimberly made in making the openness a possibility.

The news hit Kimberly of her son’s disease in November of 2009. Upon a family stay at Half Moon Bay, Kimberley began noticing Will’s incessant bathroom needs, “Will was up 6 times that night to use the bathroom so Monday I brought him to the pediatrician, we went in and they did a urine test.” After receiving the results Kimberly was in-formed that her son’s urine contained sugar in it. Follow up blood tests later showed that Will’s case was severe and in need of immediate attention. “After a blood test the doctor called probably a half hour later and said I need you to go into a room where the kids aren’t around, which is where I knew things really weren’t good” Kimberlys eyes glaze over and her mind races back to that evening. Suddenly it is apparent that Kimberly has put herself back to that nightin2009.“Iwentupstairsandwastryingtofindaplace of a room with a door that I could close. The doctor said you need to take him to the hospital right now.” Kim-berly’seyesflickerandhergazemeetsmine,“Iwasreallypretty distraught and was shaking pretty hard and sort of having a hard time functioning. I was standing there talking on the telephone with Dr. Green and things got worse from there. Dr Green said we got a bed for you at the hospital, room 302 North which is a number I will never forget.” When Will checked into the hospital his blood sugar was at 906 which compared to the average blood sugar level of 100 shows how deep into the danger zone Will was. Blood sugar levels above 400 can lead to seizures, kidney

failures,comatosis,andotherdetrimentaleffects(DiabetesHealth Care Center).

“When you leave the hospital with a newborn baby tere are lot of questions in mind but you sort of

have this sense that you’ll be able to do most of it pretty well. when you leave the hospital with a kid who has Type I Diabetes you’re essentially having to function as that kids pancreas. Before we set foot in the hospital that night I had no idea where the pancreas was what is functions were,

what it did, where it was located”(Chisolm). Following her son’s di-agnosis Kimberly took it upon herself to educate herself with a crash course in endo-crinology. In the span of three days in which Will was bedridden in the hospital, Kimberly

thoroughly prepped herself on the new life she’d have to live as a mother caring for a son with a detrimental disease. The immense information overload helped Kimberly deal with the brutal reality that her son was going to have to inject himself with insulin 4 to 5 times a day.

Wills diagnoses came with a bit of a silver lining for Kimberly. After her son’s diagnosis Kimberly was able to combine her passion for writing and allocate her talent into a subject she felt closely connected to. That is when she got involved with JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a national organization working to progress the lifestyles of those dealing with a diabetes diagnosis by conducting new cutting edge research and uniting the community of those with Type I diabetes (JDRF). She became the Vice President of Research for the Bay Area Branchafterimmersingherselfintheeffortsoftheorga-nization. Kimberly’s thirst for literary expression developed in college and she constantly published samples of writing ineffortstosatisfyherneedtosomehowalwaysremainin-tellectually engaged. When Will was diagnosed with Type

Diabetes, Kimberly’s writing began to gain a new meaning. The motive shifted and her talent was able to emulate itself in an inspirational way. “I would publish these personal and heartfelt posts about something that would happen in our everyday lives and within a matter of hours I would have several comments and responses and people giving pretty good evidence that the writing had resonated with them.… This was a really meaningful way to help people move through something that’s really dif-ficultespeciallythroughdiagnosis”(Chisolm).Kimberly’swork began reaching a multitude of families struggling with the same issues she and her family had to brave through during life after diagnosis. Kimberly speaks of JDRF with the highest re-gards, calling it a lifeline for families going through a Type I Diabetes diagnoses.

“The moment that someone is diagnosed they be-come a part of a community. We call it the best club you never wanted to belong to. ”A hint of a smile engulfs her face as she thinks about the communal feel JDRF brings forward. “We’re part of a community where the day to day issues are similar for everyone. Everyone has to inject insu-lin whether its with syringes or with a pump everyone has to count carbs everyone has to be concerned about exercise. and for the most part the repercussions are the same.... people are dealing with the same sorts of issues... which does allow for a strong sense of community, everyone is in the same boat on some level”(Chisolm). Kimberly’s passion is apparent as she explains JDRF’s immense impact on her life. Her empathetic na-ture and nurturing qualities shine through as she speaks of her past. Kimberly’s impeccable ability to make you feelwelcomewithinthefirstfiveminutesofmeetinghermakes the whole interview very comfortable and relaxed. Her upbeat personality is infectious and her ability to commit immense amounts of time to developing research for JDRF, write for numerous local publications, run a household, mother three kids, all while running a carpool is inspiring.

“Itwasreallydifficultbutthesilverliningofhav-ing the other shoe drop was that we survived. You sort of realize that you can infact weather these storms. The other shoe can drop and you can have major medical conditions and still everybody’s going to survive and everyones going to be stronger for it.” Kimberlys determination and drive shows no signs of slowing down as she continues her pro-found writing for JDRF and raises three amazing chil-dren, Will, Aiden and Quinton.

Written By: Nikki Kashani Photos By: Nikki Kashani