I GOT MY LICENSE!!

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RX4NJ JDAC Volvo for life Park City Record Shopper News

High School, skiing and things....

Wow! My Junior year is almost over. JDAC is going strong thanks to support from my community. We raised over $16,000 so far this year. I had scoliosis surgery over the summer, and a hospitalization over the winter, so my ski season was limited to teaching little kids how to ski. I still have a challenge with my surgeon which was to be at the end of the season, but the "snow" turned green too early. But the challenge still stands, we will save it for next season -- on the bumps.

Once ski season ended, it was off to the Junior Prom and then onto the spring Masques Production. I can't wait to start off my exciting summer geared towards helping other kids to learn about managing their diabetes.

Next year, my senior year will be spent looking at colleges and planning my life after Fair Lawn High. WOW, lots to do in the next year!

My hair grew back great after donating it to "Locks of Love" last year!

"Locks of Love" -- 2006

JDAC

Thanks to my friends and the nurses, I initiated a club called the Juvenile Diabetes Awareness Club (JDAC) my freshman year in high school. Together with members of the community, and the Diabetes Foundation, Inc. our club has already raised over $35,000 in 3 years. Each $1700 scholarship sends one child to Camp Nejeda in Stillwater, NJ who may not have been able to afford it. My goal is to start a club in every High School in NJ to raise awareness of the growing epidemic of diabetes in the United States and to continue to send children to camp in the summer to learn what is necessary to live with diabetes!

Challenge of the day: Make a matching contribution on behalf of Fair Lawn High School's Juvenile Diabetes Awareness Club to Camp Nejeda, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization !! Let’s all pull together to allow other diabetics enjoy a wonderful experience of spending time with their peers and enjoying a camp experience who might not otherwise afford it!! If you can’t match it, every little bit helps!

The Diabetes Foundation has subsidized the cost of sending children to Camp Nejeda since the early 1990s. They have teamed up with JDAC for the last two years by matching funds up to $5,000 each year to raise additional money for camperships. Thank you for taking on the CHALLENGE and sharing the same mission as JDAC!

As part of my mission to help other diabetics, I applied for a "Keep the Drive" grant with the goal of starting a program called "Smart Driving for the Diabetic Teenager." The first presentation will be during staff week at Camp Nejeda this summer and I have already been asked to do others, which is so great. Thanks to my fellow classmate, Vinny, who designed the t-shirt for the first event. I will post it once it is finalized. The shirt is soooo cool, take my word for it!

LillyforLife Achievement Award

On October 26, 2004, I was presented with the LillyforLife Achievement Award: Presented in the "Young Champions" (patients 17 and under) category in recognition of outstanding contribution to the diabetes community. This prestigious honor came with a $1,000 award to be given to my favorite charity. I chose Camp Nejeda, a summer camp for diabetics. Highlighted in a press release and story featured on the website, www.lillydiabetes.com

In April 2004, I was recognized as being one of the
Top 100 Volvo for Life Award winners

My picture was up in Times Square, NYC!

How cool is that!

This award recognizes those who have done extraordinary things
in their lives to help others and I am proud to be part of the
Volvo for Life 2 Featured Heroes for 2004!

Cruise on over to read all the stories on
Volvo for Life Awards website
and if you know a hero . . .
the 2006 nomination process
has started!

Recent Honors

I was selected as one of 300 state winners of a 2007 Discover® Card Tribute Award® Scholarship! State winners are selected from all applicants (25,400 high school juniors around the country) based on overall excellence in the areas of leadership and community service while successfully overcoming a hardship or challenge and have maintained a minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average to qualify. It comes with a $2,500 scholarship too!

I was recognized as an Energizer® Keep Going® Hall of Fame semifinalist! I was one of 100 amazing people that has the spirit of the Energizer Bunny®. They felt that I have embraced life with a never-quit attitude.
I keep on going and going and ...

I was nominated to represent my high school for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards which honors outstanding community service by young Americans for the last three years. I look forward to being a role model for my school as well as the communities I serve. As of yet, I have not been picked in NJ, but I have not given up yet!

Although I have not been picked as a State representative, based on the number of volunteer hours, the judges have nominated me for The President's Volunteer Service Award from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation! I received the Gold Award for committing over 100 hours in a 12 month period as a 14 and 16 year old. I urge all Americans to dedicate their time to the community.

In 2005, I was named as an International Diabetes Youth Ambassador (IDYA). Read my story at the following link: Sarah Yourman

My mom and I were named to the PhRMA Speakers Bureau. I have done a couple of speaking engagements and appeared in a couple of magazines and newspapers on Capitol Hill in April. Link I also had a chance to speak at the re-launch of the "Partnership for Prescription Assistance"...first one hundred days.

It has been my pleasure to help launch the RX4NJ program. Rx4NJ.org is a program that connects qualified, low-income people with prescription drug assistance programs, direct from the pharmaceutical manufacturer. They offer a single point of access to public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.

I introduced a new program to recognize and profile exceptional people living with cystic fibrosis called the Genentech Heroes of Hope program. There is a webstream in the upper right corner of the page that introduces the program with me narrating!

Check my brother Jeffrey and I hanging on the side of a building on Genentech's campus in California! We both take Pulmozyme and Nutropin AQ and have the honor of telling the story about our success with Nutropin Growth Hormone. In addition, Pulmozyme has allowed us to lead a normal life since it was approved 10 years ago for cystic fibrosis patients. Thanks Genentech for everything that you have done for all the CF patients. My goal is to tell people about our story and to show the world that CF patients can do anything they want to do!

Look for me as an "Everyday Hero Living with Cystic Fibrosis" on the TOBI website for 2004. Inhaling TOBI has made a big difference in my life! (It is not recommended for everyone). I am also in great company with the other heroes in the calendar and on the website!

I am always in touch with all the congressional representatives and the Governor at the state level to pursued each one of them to implement Disease Management programs for diabetes, cystic fibrosis, asthma and heart disease under the Medicaid Program. These management programs empower patients to follow their healthcare plan and provides for cost savings to the State of New Jersey. I try to stay involved with activities to advocate for all patients with cystic fibrosis and diabetes. In June 2003, I went to Trenton NJ and spoke out about preferred drug lists: check out the article: CAPITAL REPORT: MCGREEVEY RETHINKS PREFERRED DRUG LIST (after Sarah Yourman speaks ;-) . . . just kidding.) If you would like to help, contact the representatives in your area!

My "advocacy" career started when I was six. As you can see from the picture on the left, I was always by my Mom's side when it came to helping her discuss what it is like living with a chronic illness. During this time period the main focus was healthcare reform both in the State of New Jersey and at the Federal level. I later helped with HIPPA, newborn screening in NJ which was one of the initial States in 1999 (CO and WI were the first) to test newborns for cystic fibrosis. I spoke at the launch of RX4NJ that helps NJ residents with prescription assistance programs.

My main focus now is "kids helping kids" especially to help empower other kids dealing with a chronic illness to have the knowledge to advocate for themselves.

Sarah is an amazing athlete and incredible role model. She is fourteen years old and is actively involved in freestyle skiing as well as competitive downhill skiing. What is so incredible about her story is that Sarah suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, a life shortening progressive lung disorder, Diabetes, and Asthma. She is making the most out of her life and has a smile on her face everyday no matter what!!

Hannah Hardaway (2002 Olympic Mogul Skier) said it best
"Sarah is one of those people everyone wants to be around.
She radiates happiness and energy,
reminding us all that there are no boundaries
to what we can accomplish if we put our heart and soul in it!"

Sarah Yourman is truly an inspiration to us all!

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SKIING

Have never seen me ski and want to watch a short slide show
Well, here it is thanks to Imagine Studios
and my mom and dad (they took the videos and pictures)!


Click here
to view the show

Not bad for a girl from New Jersey, very far from the ski capitol of the world and of course living with cystic fibrosis and diabetes.



©2005 YPS - Used with permission

Super Size Me - Morgan Spurlock

Catch a glimpse of me and my artwork in the now famous "Super Size Me" documentary. I have a small cameo role at the end of the movie and the wonderful belly art!. Thanks Morgan for all you have done for me and my family and your support for JDAC. I still remember you from the volleyball event, many years ago, spiking the ball over the net so that I could win a t-shirt. You and Alex are the greatest! Hugs and kisses to Laken, he is so adorable!


The Super Size Me Guy's Belly

MY Bro!!!!

I have had many requests to post a recent picture of my brother on my website, so here it is....
You can check out other pictures on his site at www.jeffyourman.com . I am excited that we will both be in high school together at the same time next year to have some good times together ... Love ya Jeff!


©2005 YPS - Used with permission

My Wonderful Heathcare Team

Thank you to my wonderful doctors: Dr. Quittell, Dr. Vargas, Dr. Kazlow and Maple Avenue Pediatrics, and their staff along with all the new doctors I have acquired over the last year. If it weren’t for all of you, I wouldn't have the energy to enjoy this exciting sport and life of course!

Dr. Vitale: To the greatest scoliosis surgeon I know! Let's see how good you are on the ski slopes! I feel great and propose the following challenge...There will be no jumping involved, we'll just do gates...

Thanks also to the great attending docs, med students, residents and nurses at Columbia University for making my hospital stays comfortable!

Cozmo Rocks !!

I would also like to thank all the folks at Deltec for my
wonderful Cozmo Insulin Pump(TM)--
I feel great and look great!
Read my story at http://www.cozmore.com/ous/default.cfm?PID=1.10.6

Attention All Students

I get many emails from around the world from people who have decided to do a report on cystic fibrosis. Let my site and articles be an inspirational story about a survivor,
but go to the following link and you will find all the
technical and medical information about Cystic Fibrosis.

©Scientific American --December 1995
A wonderful resource for cystic fibrosis information

Unfortunately you will have to follow the directions and there is a fee

for the article. Another option would be to go to your local library.

Article in USAA's "U Magazine"
about Goals and Successes
featuring Sarah Yourman
Excerpted from the Winter 2002 issue of U Magazine.
Posted with permission from USAA. Copyright 2002

Diabetes Positive!
Cover Story
Living with Diabetes
featuring Sarah Yourman
March 2003

Good Luck with your report!

Special Messages

To all of my friends from camp, skiing and school. Thanks for being there for me. I hope that I am as good a friend as you are to me! As I entered High School, I fit right in and continue to have a wonderful high school experience. I am involved in all that high school has to offer. I only hope that I am given the opportunity to show FLHS what I am made of ... The world is wide open and I want to experience everything!

To the Fair Lawn High School Masques: Thanks for all the great times. It is a great experience for me… Thanks to Mr. Perrotta and Ms. Boos and Mrs. Rochford for all your guidance.

Supporters

Thank you to the Fair Lawn McDonalds, Ski Barn of Paramus, Rossignol, Grabber, Schneider Racing, Genentech, Life Scan, Eli Lilly, Deltec, Thorlo, Swany America, Super Feet, and especially my parents and my brother, Jeffrey, and Uncle Harvey for all of the support you have given me over my lifetime!

Thanks to the Boomer Esiason Foundation for their support

© 2001-2007 -- SarahYourman.com
For More Information Contact: Lisa Yourman

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Last modified: June 14, 2007