My name is Myra Saxena. I am the founder of Sparklez! I started Sparklez, a non-profit organization, in 2021 to support and empower kids in need in underprivileged communities. My vision is to expand this platform to support kids in need by empowering them through healthy living and quality education. 

Please join me for a fun STEM event to benefit the Pediatric Diabetes Center and Camp Charm City diabetes camp at Johns Hopkins Children Center. This event will be for kids ages 6-14 and include various STEM activities, coding/programming challenges, creating group presentations with your solutions, and ending with a fun party! Come out, join the fun, and support a great cause. 

Why support diabetes research?

Last year, I lost my grandpa to a long struggling battle due to type 2 diabetes, which led to kidney failure and eventually heart failure. I started my journey with two questions in mind: What is diabetes? Can it be cured by any medicines?

In my research, I was shocked to find out that 37.3 million people have diabetes in our country. I can't believe that’s 11% of our population! In fact, about 13,000 youth are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year. Simultaneously, the epidemic of childhood obesity has led to a dramatic rise in type 2 diabetes in children, which actually even increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Either type of diabetes is chronic and places pediatric patients at risk for serious long-term complications, including vascular disease, stroke, blindness, loss of limbs, kidney failure, and heart disease.

I want to continue working with Johns Hopkins Children Center to support their pediatric diabetic research so we can detect it early on and support kids with diabetes.

About Johns Hopkins Pediatric Diabetes Center

Johns Hopkins Children's Center is the home of the very first pediatric endocrinology program, started in 1935. The Johns Hopkins Pediatric Diabetes Center sits within the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes and offers comprehensive diabetes care in both Baltimore and Bethesda, with a team approach to address all the needs of their patients and families. They treat patients aged 18 and under who have all types of diabetes, including type 1, type 2, prediabetes, and cystic-fibrosis-related diabetes. The division also includes a diabetes transition program preparing pediatric patients for adult care.

One of the main advocacy programs for the division is Camp Charm City, an annual five-day diabetes camp—the first of its kind in Maryland—to ensure that children with diabetes from across the Baltimore metropolitan area have access to a fun, safe, and supportive environment to learn and thrive while managing their diabetes. Staffed by volunteer pediatric endocrinologists, nutritionists, nurses, behavioral health specialists, and teenage diabetes patient Counselors-in-Training (CIT), campers are supervised by highly trained individuals who understand the management and unique needs of each child.