Voices from the community

Hi, I’m Juanita Bess, founder of Beads of Hope T1D.

In early 2023, our family escaped the winter cold with a trip to Mexico to celebrate two birthdays—my husband Joey’s and our son Benjamin’s, just one day apart. It was supposed to be a week of sunshine, cake, and family memories.

Instead, it became the week our lives changed forever.

While we were away, Benji, who was almost two years old, wasn’t feeling quite right. We assumed it was another childhood virus. Back home, he wasn’t getting better. He was constantly thirsty, drinking water nonstop, and soaking through diapers at an alarming rate.

The signs were there. We just didn’t see them.

Even as a physician, I didn’t immediately recognize that our son was developing Type 1 Diabetes. As a mother, I wasn’t ready to believe it could be something so serious.

At the same time, I was recovering from foot surgery after a badly broken foot, which meant I was home with Benji around the clock. The more I watched him, the more concerned I became. I asked Joey to take him to urgent care.

His blood sugar was nearly 600.

The doctor looked at my husband and calmly asked, “Can you drive him to Children’s Hospital, or do I need to call an ambulance?”

That’s the moment we knew nothing would ever be the same.

We spent the next week watching our two-year-old fight diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). We watched him endure countless needles, monitors, and procedures while feeling miserable and scared. If you’re a parent, you know the feeling: seeing your child suffer while being unable to take their pain away is a special kind of heartbreak.

But Benji fought. And so did we.

Three years later, history repeated itself.

Our daughter Isabel—our fearless, hilarious little force of nature—was approaching her second birthday. Like many T1D parents, we’d become hyperaware of every symptom, every extra sip of water, every change of a diaper.

This time, our paranoia paid off.

We caught her diagnosis early and avoided the terrifying DKA experience that Benji endured. Still, hearing that a second child had Type 1 Diabetes felt almost impossible to comprehend.

We joke now that we “won the lottery twice”—except this wasn’t exactly the jackpot anyone hopes for.

Today, both of our children are thriving. Our lives revolve around insulin, glucose monitors, carb counting, and alarms that seem to know exactly when we’ve fallen asleep. T1D didn’t just become part of our story—it became part of our family.

Beads of Hope T1D was born from that journey.

What started as a way to cope became a way to fight back. Every pen and bag charm represents strength, awareness, resilience, and hope. Every bead tells a story—not just ours, but the story of millions of families navigating life with Type 1 Diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

When you purchase our beads, you’re doing more than supporting a small business. You’re helping raise awareness, funding, and hope for families who need all three. You’re reminding a parent sitting beside a hospital bed that they’re not alone. You’re helping a child feel seen. You’re joining a community that refuses to let this disease define us.

Together, we can raise awareness, raise spirits, and raise hope—one bead at a time.

Thank you for being part of our story.

Now we’d love to hear yours.