New Year’s Eve fundraiser to be held for Swampscott dad with diabetes

SWAMPSCOTT-A diabetes fundraiser and New Year’s Eve anniversary party may seem like an unlikely combination, but Diane Ratner said it was a natural choice.”What better way to celebrate my 10-year anniversary than to celebrate the life of my husband,” she said. “He is one of a kind – fun, witty, warm, generous, intelligent, honest, and a true friend.”Diane said her husband David Ratner was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes six years ago and the diagnosis devastated her.”I sat in the doctor’s office, seven months pregnant, sobbing and unable to catch my breath,” she said. “While David, the one being forced into a completely new lifestyle, comforted me all the while.”The fundraiser will be held on Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. at Congregation Shirat Hayam, 55 Atlantic Ave. Tickets, which are $150 per person, are available by calling 781-586-1343.Highlights of the gala include live music by “Unity,” a catered meal, an open bar and a silent auction.David, who is 36, said he was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes when he was 29.”It’s life changing,” he said. “It’s something I have to think about all the time. I have to take five shots a day, always have to carry supplies with me and be really conscious of things I do. Something as simple as getting in the car involves a lot of planning. Blood sugar can be affected by weather, stress and exercise, as well as food.”David said he has learned to live with the disease but he can’t bear the thought that his children and other children could develop it.”My father was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 39,” he said. “I have young children and I am obviously worried about them developing diabetes. Most insulin-dependent diabetics are children. I know what I have to go through and it’s heart wrenching to imagine a parent has to inject their kid. It’s tough to think about.”David pointed out diabetes is a disease that is projected to reach epidemic proportions and the money raised at the event would go to the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center, where he receives treatment for the disease.”The numbers are frightening and get worse annually,” he said. “We have to find a cure for this disease.”Diane added Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center is on the cutting edge of diabetes research.”The monies raised will help fund innovative research projects under the guidance of David’s primary care physician, Dr. David Nathan,” she said. “He is recognized as one of the foremost diabetes researchers worldwide.”