About Me

Islets of Hope, for persons with diabetes, was founded by Lahle Wolfe in August of 2005 at the request of her young daughter, Elizabeth.

Ms. Wolfe has lived with type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome since her diagnosis at the age of 27. Still, when her 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she was shocked.

Having to quit nursing school to care for her daughter, this single mother of four, began a new medical career as full-time caregiver to a child with diabetes. Overnight, she necessarily embarked into a life of giving injections and rigid structure, filled with the emotional and financial costs familiar to every family living with diabetes.

Lahle never asked "why God?" (with all that diabetes requires there wasn't time!). But she did find herself asking repeatedly, "how?" How could she get past this feeling that diabetes had overtaken every breathing moment of her life? Although a nobel and necessary purpose, there was nothing left at the end of the day beyond keeping her daughter alive -- in fact the day with diabetes never ends because there are also those middle of the night worries and sugar checks.

The sting of diabetes is not only felt in finger pricks and needles. It also comes from the sting of a mother's tears. Wolfe felt helpless and longed to help her daughter put some sense of normalcy back into her life; a carefree smile back onto her sweet, tiny face. But how?

That day came when Elizabeth was put on an insulin pump that she promptly named "Emily." Only three days into "pumping" Elizabeth, then 4, excitedly proclaimed that she had her life back -- she was in control and planned to sleep late for a week (something not possible on shots). She squealed with delight at the thought of NO MORE SHOTS! And for the first time since diagnosis Lahle saw the rebirth of her childhood, complete with a brand-new reason to smile.

One morning, sage Elizabeth, said she wanted to share with others what insulin pumping had done for her. "Mommy, you need to help other kids get pumps too," she said, as if it was that simple.

Lahle began by purchasing "for Dummies" books and taught herself to program a website, start a business, even how to set up a nonprofit organization.

She spent thousands of hours researching diabetes from every angle and forged a unique website that offers information, support, free advertising for business owners living diabetes, advice, tips, and lots of truly hard-core diabetes information (there's plenty for the newly diagnosed as well).

Elizabeth's wish to "help others" finally came true when Lahle founded Islets of Hope, a user-friendly, comprehensive diabetes resource and information clearing house. But as letters poured in from site visitors thanking her for helping them understand more about diabetes, many lamented that they did not have the insurance or financial resources to care for themselves. Not only could people not afford $6,000 for an insulin pump, but many were not even testing their blood sugars because they could not afford the cost of basic diabetes care supplies. Lahle realized that Islets of Hope was a great beginning, offering a much-needed service, but it was not going to be enough.

After brainstorming with Elizabeth, "people will help if you ask them, but you have to ask," Lahle could only agree. So in January of 2006, she launched a second company, a nonprofit organization known as IPump.org, Inc.

Lahle has learned a lot about diabetes from her reasearch, conversations with others who have diabetes, and from living in the trenches both as a diabetic and the parent of a child with diabetes. But the most important thing that she has learned about diabetes came from her own, young daughter wise beyond her years.

In Elizabeth's own words ...

"Diabetes drools and "Emily" rules!"