Walk this way

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Charlie McAuliffe and Joanne Laufer are neighbors.

They live in the same condo complex.

But that’s not all they have in common. Laufer, 46, and 10-year-old

Charlie are both diabetic.

And on Sunday, they will be co-captains of the Shooting Stars, a team

of 63 walkers from Newport Beach, in the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes at

UC Irvine.

For Charlie, who was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, it will be

his second walk.

Talking to people like Laufer, attending camps for diabetic children

and participating in events like the walk have helped Charlie gain

confidence in his ability to deal with his condition. But the first year

was terrifying, he said.

“I was very scared because I didn’t know anything about diabetes,”

Charlie said. “Now, I know a lot more. ... I’m not afraid anymore.”

Laufer, who was 10 when she was diagnosed, knows exactly how Charlie

feels.

“It was terrible growing up,” said Laufer. “You have to juggle your

food, your exercise, your insulin, your emotions. And you have to do it

every single day.”

The walk is an opportunity to educate people about diabetes and to

give others a chance to help, said Laufer.

“We need to work for a cure, at least for the kids,” she said,

“because it’s so unfair.”

As a youngster with diabetes, it is a challenge to lead a normal life,

said Charlie’s mother, Charlotte McAuliffe.

“He wants to eat candy like other kids,” she said. “Halloween’s just

around the corner. That’s a big challenge.”

FYI

The 5K Walk to Cure Diabetes begins at 9 a.m. at Aldrich Park at UC

Irvine. Registration begins at 7 a.m.