ROANOKE, Va. – For National Diabetes Awareness Month, a Rocky Mount woman has come up with a colorful and creative way to spread her very personal message.
"We wanted to make some money, and so I thought, let's flock people," said Laura Kefauver.
Months ago, Kefauver started “flocking” – leaving flamingos in unsuspecting people's front yards, who then have to pay to send them elsewhere. It’s all to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or JDRF. She raised $3,000 in less than two months leading up to the JDRF One Walk. Now, the organization has decided to continue the campaign for National Diabetes Awareness Month.
Flocking leaves behind more than just the birds, but a sign that comes with a story.
"We don't want another family to deal with the same choices and consequences that ours has had to go through," Kefauver said.
Two of Kefauver's children were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes within a year and a half. Kefauver said when her son turned 18, he decided he could handle his disease on his own, but he couldn’t.
Last September, Kefauver’s son got a stomach bug and refused to let his parents take him to the doctor. The next morning, they found him barely breathing. They realized he wasn’t getting insulin. An ambulance took him to a hospital, from which he was flown to Roanoke.
"For days, they tried to save him, but in the end, the brain damage was too significant and he never woke up," Kefauver said.
Since complications from diabetes took Kefauver's son, she's taken her grief and turned it into action.
"It's hard, but at the same time, if my story reaches another teenager who thinks they know it all and can make those medical decisions just because they've turned 18, maybe I’ve saved another family from sorrow," Kefauver said.
Now, Kefauver is fighting by flocking.
"This little idea I had to raise maybe $1,000, I thought if I was lucky, took off and exploded all over Roanoke, and it makes me feel great to know that I’ve made an impact," Kefauver said.
It’s grown into a passion that Kefauver hopes will lead to a cure and a future that her son never got to see.
"As a mom, it means that my son's name lives on and he's not forgotten," Kefauver said.
JDRF is continuing the flocking campaign this month to raise money and awareness. Click here to find out how you can support diabetes research.