3rd
Skate for the Cure slated
by Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, New Haven
Register, Conn.
Visit New Haven Register
Jun. 25--SHELTON -- Figure skating
enthusiasts can enjoy watching award-winning skaters while helping to
raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation this month.
The third annual Skate for the Cure is being planned for 7 p.m. on June
30 at The Rinks, 784 River Rd., Shelton.
Mary Kessler of Guilford said her daughter, Kate, who was diagnosed at
age 12, was always thin but suddenly lost a lot of weight.
"She looked like a walking skeleton and ended up in the emergency room,"
Mary Kessler said. Today, Kate Kessler is 28 years old, takes five
insulin injections daily and watches what she eats, and her mother Mary
Kessler is the executive director of the Greater New Haven chapter of
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
"The Skate for the Cure is so wonderful, and events like it bring us
closer to a cure," Mary Kessler said. "We won't rest until then. People
involved in this event really go out of their way and put their heart
and soul into it."
Martin Nirschel of Stamford, event executive producer, said he hopes it
will raise about $30,000, which will go toward research for a cure.
"We are so grateful to these skaters, company sponsors and others who
are involved for doing this," Nirschel said. "Many of them don't even
have family members with diabetes."
Skaters scheduled to perform include Olympic ice dancers and U.S.
National Silver Medalists Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, and Ryan
Bradley, the reigning Men's National Silver Medalist and a 2007 World
Championships competitor. "In the skating world, it is a big event to
have people of this caliber, and it has been exciting getting these
folks involved," Nirschel said.
Frank Simms, the voice of the "Kool-Aid Man" and several other
commercial characters, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Simms is a
backup singer who has appeared with Madonna, Elvis Costello, David Bowie
and Billy Joel.
Martin Nirschel's daughter, Annie Nirschel, a 12-year-old Stamford
resident who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes prior to her fourth
birthday, will sing again this year. Annie has been using an insulin
pump for years, according to her father.
"With diabetes, it is like constant vigilance and a constant battle," he
said. "This diabetes stays with you forever. You have good days and bad
days, and it is a struggle."
Alan Phillips, a principal of The Rinks, said it is pleased to host the
event for the third year in a row. The arena is being provided without
charge for the event.
The event has raised nearly $50,000 over the past two years. It was
originally conceived in 2005 by then 16-year-old Daniel Innamorati of
Westport, a competitive figure skater who has family members who are
diabetics. The foundation was started by parents of children with
juvenile diabetes, which makes children insulin-dependent and can be
lethal.
Tickets cost $25 for adults and $12 for children ages five to 18.
Children under five can come for free. To order tickets, send a check or
money order payable to Skate for the Cure, P.O. Box 4698, Stamford, CT
06907. To reserve tickets, to be picked up at the door the night of the
event, call 409-6406. For more information, visit the Web site,
www.skateforthecure.com.
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