Anyone is welcome to attend, said Luke’s mother, Cheryl Altman.
There will be a $10 entrance fee, which includes rental skates. There also will be raffles and prizes. “We thought this would be a nice way to raise money for a good cause without actually asking people to give us money, if you know what I mean,” said Cheryl Altman, who expects at least 30 people to attend. “We thought we’d ask people to come out and have a good time without directing asking them for a donation.” Luke was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7 just a few days after Halloween in 2006, his mother said. Cheryl, 37, and her husband Darren, 38, suspected something was wrong with Luke when he began showing common symptoms of the disease &mdash extreme thirst and hunger, some weight loss, frequent urination, pale skin, drowsiness and lethargic behavior &mdash during the family’s visit to Aruba. When the family returned from the vacation and took Luke to the doctor, their suspicions were confirmed. Life for the family immediately altered. Cheryl temporarily left her job as an attorney in Staten Island to look after Luke, who began checking his blood sugar “all the time,” Cheryl said. “Luke needs insulin to live,” Cheryl said. “He also has asthma, which occasionally complicates his diabetes.”
Luke had his fingers pricked daily to check his blood glucose level, Cheryl said. Insulin was either injected or delivered through an insulin pump that he attached to his body.