Wheatfield youngster Huggable Heroes semifinalist

by Susan Mikula Campbell
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, April 17, 2008

MacKenzie Duffy, left, and her sister, Kelsey, are shown with Rufus the Diabetes Bear at the 2007 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes. Rufus has patches on his body to show kids where shots are administered.

MacKenzie Duffy wants to be a pop star like Hannah Montana, and then when she grows up, a veterinarian. Dreams often change when you’re only 7 years old, but there’s one dream that MacKenzie and her family have that will never fade – that someday soon a cure will be found for diabetes. MacKenzie, the daughter of Janeen and Joe Duffy of Wheatfield, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was only 4 years old. That same year, she and her mom participated in a diabetes fundraising walk. They’ve been doing walks for both the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and American Diabetes Association, plus doing whatever they can to raise diabetes awareness, ever since. MacKenzie is hoping to hear today whether she will have a chance to share her message with a much broader audience. She and Lindsay Serena, 16, of Derby, are among 120 semifinalists chosen from nominations from the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, U.K., Ireland and France for the 2008 Huggable Heroes search, sponsored by Build-A-Bear Workshop. Lindsay raises funds for cancer research. This month, 31 finalists will be named from the young leaders who “demonstrate strong levels of kindness, compassion and leadership to help make the world a better place.” Twelve Huggable Heroes will be chosen from the finalists and will be featured in the 2009 Huggable Heroes calendar. The 12 Huggable Heroes also will be honored at a leadership symposium in July in Washington, D.C., and will receive a $7,500 scholarship and $2,500 donation to the charity of their choice.

That’s heady stuff for a youngster who is just a second grader at St. Christopher’s School in Tonawanda, but if she wins, she’ll likely handle it with the aplomb she handles both her diabetes and her work to spread the word about her cause.

In her three-year quest for a cure, MacKenzie has raised more than $30,000 and been a youth ambassador for the ADA and JDRF. She’s cut ribbons, appeared in public service announcements, been interviewed on TV, and spoken at corporate breakfasts. A video showing MacKenzie from the time she was born to the present currently is being shown in Tops Markets across Western New York.

Right now, she and her mom are concentrating on the Western New York Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes.

The one-mile walk will be June 8 at Martin’s Fantasy Island on Grand Island. Registration starts at 9 a.m., with the walk at 11 a.m. Any walker who raises $200 in pledges can go on the rides free after the walk. Other walkers can ride for $5. Registration information is available online at www.jdrf.org.

MacKenzie will head the MacKenzie’s Troopers team for the walk. Why does she do it? “Because I need a cure for diabetes … because it’s fun and I get to see other kids like me.”

Volunteering is good, according to MacKenzie – “It’s good for you to get out there and do stuff for the community.”

“She is always available to talk and help out with diabetes whether you are a child or an adult,” her mom, Janeen Duffy, said. “She’s created many public service announcements showing kids her age that diabetes doesn’t hold you back from being a ‘normal’ kid because you are ‘normal.’ Every year she stands up in front of the class and talks about her diabetes and her pump; shows her insulin pump to the kids and answers any questions they may have.”

A friend from class is chosen as a companion each time MacKenzie has to visit the school nurse for a finger prick to check her sugar levels.

“All her friends look out for her in school,” Janeen Duffy said. “They know when she’s not feeling good and tell the teacher for her.”

Janeen already calls her strong-willed little girl her hero. MacKenzie knows she has to watch what she eats and exercise or cause havoc with her body. She already knows how to read food labels.

The hard part about having a little girl with diabetes, Janeen said, is “ I don’t like to hurt her.”

Originally, MacKenzie had to have several insulin shots a day. Now, she has an insulin pump, but still needs a shot in her stomach every other day for the cannula site where the pump’s tube is attached.

Meanwhile, MacKenzie continues life as a normal little girl. She is actively involved in dancing and gymnastics. She also plays baseball, swims and roller skates. She is an avid creator of artwork.

And, of course, she and her sister, Kelsey, love to visit the Build-A-Bear Workshop store at the Galleria Mall where they can make their own stuffed animals. MacKenzie has nine of them (her favorite is a pink poodle) plus accessories for them, including tiny shoes, purses and outfits. Even if she’s not named a Huggable Hero, as a semifinalist, she has a $15 gift certificate she can use to add to her collection.