Virginia Woman Pursues Dream to Advise Families on
Parenting with Diabetes
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bayer HealthCare LLC,
Diabetes Care Division, a member of the Bayer Group (NYSE: BAY), announced
today Kathryn (Kassie) Gregorio Palmer as the official 2004 winner of The
Ascensia Dream Fund(R), the Company's annual contest for people with diabetes.
Through this award, Palmer, 36, will realize her dream of authoring and
publishing a book of advice and practical tips to help families overcome the
unique challenges of parenting with diabetes.
Palmer, a mother of two children, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at
the age of 18. She aims to give other parents the courage and inspiration to
self-manage their diabetes to preserve their health and wellness while raising
a family.
"Maintaining control of my blood sugar while caring for my young sons has
been a slow and steady battle, fought daily with self-monitoring, an insulin
pump, and support from friends and family," said Palmer. "Along the way, my
own challenges and ideas, in combination with tips and tricks from my circle
of friends with diabetes, have taught me about parenting with diabetes and
made a huge difference in my diabetes control. I want to show parents with
diabetes that giving love and care to their children does not mean they need
to compromise the management of their own diabetes, and that they are not
alone in their daily struggles to balance family, work, and diabetes."
Palmer will write from her own experiences as well as from the experiences
of others with diabetes, including women who have given birth, adoptive
parents, step-parents and fathers. Topics might range from finding ways to
remember to monitor blood sugars to managing fears that their children may
develop diabetes.
"When I was pregnant, I was blessed with an enormous amount of information
and attention to help me manage my diabetes," said Palmer. "But after my
children were born, I felt like I fell off a cliff, because there was a real
lack of information about how to juggle my own self-monitoring, nutrition and
exercise needs, while assuming the overwhelming task of caring for a young
child. My dream is to write a book that will fill that vital need for other
parents like me. I'm so grateful to Bayer HealthCare and The Ascensia Dream
Fund contest for making this possible."
The book is expected to be available at the end of 2005. For more
information about how to obtain a copy of the book and how to enter The 2005
Ascensia Dream Fund(R) contest, log on to http://www.AscensiaDreamFund.com or
call toll-free 800-255-8769 (press 1, press 7666#).
"Kathryn Palmer's persistence in keeping her diabetes under control
through diligent self-management, while raising her children as a working mom,
is a great inspiration to other parents with diabetes," said Joe Malta, Vice
President of Sales and Marketing, Bayer HealthCare, Diabetes Care Division.
"Bayer is proud to name her as the official 2004 winner of The Ascensia Dream
Fund contest. We hope her story will inspire many other women and men like her
to enter The Dream Fund contest in 2005."
The Ascensia Dream Fund(R)
The Ascensia Dream Fund(R) contest was created two years ago to help
people achieve a significant dream that would not be possible without control
of their diabetes through self-monitoring. The contest was inspired by John
Dennis who in 2002 became the first person with diabetes to qualify for and
participate in Around Alone, a single-handed global yacht race. In 2003,
Colleen McCarthy LaPierre was selected as the winner and fulfilled her dream
to establish a challenge-based adventure camp for teenagers with diabetes.
People with diabetes in the US, 18 and older, can request an application for
The Ascensia Dream Fund(R) contest for 2005 at
http://www.AscensiaDreamFund.com or by calling toll-free 800-255-8769 (press
1, press 7666#).
Ascensia(R)
Ascensia means to 'ascend and achieve.' The complete range of Ascensia
diabetes care products and services are designed to help patients do just that
-- rise above their disease to experience life's many possibilities. This
unique approach is called Your Life. Your Way. and reflects Bayer HealthCare's
dedication to the principle that Ascensia products and services will help
people define their lives in terms of their goals and achievements -- not
their diabetes.
Ascensia represents Bayer's evolution towards self-directed patient care,
as the company has been a leader in diabetes monitoring and management since
1941.
Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Division
Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Division is one of the largest self test
diagnostic businesses in the world, supporting customers in 100 countries.
Since the introduction of Clinitest(R) reagent tablets in 1941 - Bayer has led
the way in diabetes care product innovation. The company changed the face of
diabetes care in 1969 when it introduced the first portable blood glucose
meter and strips. Bayer HealthCare further innovated diabetes self management
by being the first company to introduce a suite of blood glucose monitors that
do not require coding. The Ascensia(R) CONTOUR(R), Ascensia(R) BREEZE(R) and
Ascensia(R) DEX(R)2 systems offer people with diabetes unparalleled choice in
blood glucose monitoring meters. Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Division's
global headquarters in the United States operates as part of Bayer HealthCare
LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group.
Bayer HealthCare AG
Bayer HealthCare AG, a subgroup of Bayer AG with sales of approximately
8.9 billion Euro in 2003, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies
in the health care and medical products industry.
The company combines the global activities of the divisions Animal Health,
Biological Products, Consumer Care, Diagnostics, Diabetes Care and
Pharmaceuticals. More than 34,000 people are employed by Bayer HealthCare
worldwide.
Our aim is to discover and manufacture innovative products that will
improve human and animal health worldwide. Our products enhance well-being and
quality of life by diagnosing, preventing and treating disease.
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material
differences between the actual future results, financial situation,
development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These
factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including
our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these
forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or
developments.
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