Some folks are truly inspirational. Rather than sitting around bemoaning their lot in life, they get on with doing the things they like and more often than not, manage to contribute to the lives of others.
Larissa Van Caeseele may well be one of those folks. She recently joined Team Diabetes in this years' project, Conquer the Volcano. The event features a hike up the side of a live volcano in Costa Rica. The volcano, Ricon de la Vieja, is located in a national park and the climb will take the participants up through five different ecological zones on the way to the peak.
Every year the diabetes association stages major fund raising events like marathons to encourage people to become involved in the fight against the disease.
A type 1 diabetic, Van Caeseele has grown up with juvenile onset diabetes for the past 34 years. When she learned of the Conquer the Volcano project through the Canadian Diabetes Association website, Van Caeseele decided she wanted to become involved. "I don't run and at this stage of the game I am not going to like to run," she admits. "So I thought I'd do something different and hiking is something that I thought would be different," Van Caeseele says.
Currently on an insulin pump, Van Caeseele says she's seen many of the advances in diabetes research and treatment over the past 34 years. Having lived with diabetes for most of her life, she feels she wanted to contribute to the advances that will be made in dealing with the disease.
The climb has been set for Saturday, May 5, 2012. In order to join the climb, Van Caeseele needs to complete her fund raising by March 9. She has committed to raise $6,100 by that date.
Her next deadline is January 27 when she must have raised $4,900 to arrange all the logistics in getting to Costa Rica. "It's a short timeline and it was difficult over Christmas. So January and February are going to be really important for fund raising," Van Caeseele points out.
She's very appreciative for the assistance of her husband, Brent and her daughter Camryn as well as family and friends who have pitched in to help with the fund raising. They have planned and organized a number of events which have already been completed like the recent bottle drive.
Up coming events will include a steak night supper at Melrose Place, Tuesday, January 24 and Wednesday, January 25. "You pick the day that you can come," she says.
Friday, January 27 there will be a steak night and a silent auction at Langenburg.
Anyone who would like to donate to the project can contact Van Caeseele at 783-3141 or they can go to the Canadian Diabetes Association website and find the link to Team Diabetes and pledge a participant. "It's easiest and quickest online, she says.
"I'm looking forward to the different areas that we're going to climbing through, the rain forest and hearing the howler monkeys and stuff. It's going to be exciting," she says.
Admittedly not a runner, Van Caeseele says she likes walking and hiking, and water sports. She's also involved with Ukrainian dancing with the local Troyanda Dance Ukrainian Dance Ensemble.
She thanks all the people who have supported her fund raising efforts so far. "Thanks to the ladies who supported the jewelry party and the Scentsy party as well as all those who set out their bottles and cans for the bottle drive," Van Caeseele closes.
