GC Boy Meets American Idol At Winthrop

Troy Sorensen with American Idol Kevin Covais

On Thursday, September 7th, Troy Sorensen, a 4th-grader at Stratford Elementary School, met former American Idol contestant Kevin Covais. The occasion was a meeting of the Children's Diabetes group at Winthrop University Hospital, where Kevin gave an inspirational speech to the children about his experience with Type 1 diabetes and his success on the highly popular television show.

Troy was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes in December of 2004, and works very hard in managing his blood sugar on a daily basis with insulin injections, continuous blood sugar monitoring, proper eating and daily exercise. His favorite sport is baseball, and he plays in the spring season plus the summer and fall GCAA travel leagues.

Diabetes currently affects over 20 million Americans, and approximately two million are children and young adults with Type-1 or insulin dependent diabetes. Troy and his family are hopeful that a cure will be found soon. To help towards that goal, "Troy's Trojans" has been established as his fundraising team to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The JDRF has established 500 centers, grants and fellowships in 19 countries with the on-going mission of finding the cure.

Troy's Trojans will participate in the October 1st "Walk to Cure Diabetes" at SUNY Old Westbury. Last year, the team raised $5,000. This year, the team hopes to exceed that total.

Troy and his family welcome any donation to this important cause. His donation team page can be found at http://walk.jdrf.org/support.cfm?id=86474577

Donations may also be made by mailing a check - with the note "Troy's Trojans," - payable to the JDRF at JDRF Long Island, 532 Broadhollow Road, Suite 118, Melville, NY 11747.