is there the week Hudson goes to camp.
He’s fantastic. Hudson sees him every
three months.”
Locally, Ashley Boston heads
the Type 1 Diabetes support group
in Vidalia. “She’s a teacher at Sally
D. Meadows Elementary School. The
support group is a great place to get
information and encouragement,” said
Shanna.
Most of us never have to think
twice when we want to eat out. But
everything Hudson puts in his mouth
has to be carefully calculated. “There’s
an app called Calorie King that we love,”
said Shanna. “If we want to go out one
night, we can look up a restaurant’s
menu with the app. Chick-fil-A and
Zaxbys are also great for us. They both
provide all the information we need.”
Since her son’s diagnosis, Shanna
discovered there are many like Hudson
who continue to live active and full
lives with treatment. Celebrities like
Nick Jonas of the The Jonas Brothers
who was diagnosed at 13; National
champion cross-country skier Chris
Freeman who was diagnosed at 19 just
before competing in his first Olympics;
Gary Hall, Jr., Olympic gold medalist
swimmer in 2000 and 2004; actress
Mary Tyler Moore who was diagnosed
at age 33; author Anne Rice and
actress Halle Berry, both of whom were
diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetics only
after going into a diabetic coma; and
Jay Cutler, former NFL quarterback for
the Denver Broncos and the Chicago
Bears, who was diagnosed at age 22.
As active as ever, Hudson plays
both school soccer (Vidalia) and
Toombs County Soccer Association
(TCSA) travel soccer, and he was captain
of the JR Trippe golf team last year.
Hudson is pretty smart, too. In the
9th grade, he is already taking college
classes. After high school, he plans
to go to medical school to become a
Pediatric Endocrinologist. Instead of
seeing himself as a victim, Hudson has
chosen to see his own experiences as an
advantage for serving others with Type
1 Diabetes.
We all face obstacles in life. But
instead of focusing on the obstacles,
this fourteen-year-old young man
keeps things in perspective. There’s no
anger. No resentment. Only the joy
of a purpose and a heart that looks
outward rather than inward with selfpity.
I can’t think of better criteria for
anyone planning to go into the medical
field. Hudson may not have chosen
Type 1 Diabetes, but he has chosen
his response. With determination
to overcome every obstacle and
compassion for others, Hudson Sumner
has already begun his quest to make
a difference in the world by making a
difference right here in his home town
of Vidalia, Georgia.
For more information about the Type 1
Diabetes support group in Toombs County,
contact Shanna at burkett0712@yahoo.com
RIGHT Hudson has found
encouragement through support
from organizations like Camp
Khudzu in Rutledge, Georgia.
Every year he attends with
hundreds of other kids like
himself who are learning to live
with Type 1 Diabetes. BELOW A
good management program has
allowed Hudson to lead a normal,
active lifestyle. He even plays
sports like soccer and golf.
“Hardships often
prepare ordinary
people for an
extraordinary
destiny.”
–C.S. Lewis
28 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
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