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POSTED: Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009

Bellingham boy throws out pitch for Mariners, battles for diabetes cure

Seven-year-old Ben Rosbach thought he was peddling chips and drinks left over from a recent fundraiser, but what he was really selling was hope for people living with diabetes.

"I went around the neighborhood to sell them," he said, "and I made about $30 extra, thanks to my friends."

That gregarious nature helped Ben become the 2009 Youth Ambassador for Nordstrom's annual Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes walk-run in Seattle May 17.

A first-grader at Carl Cozier Elementary School and a devoted Mariners fan, Ben threw out the first pitch at the Mariners' game Thursday, April 23. He threw to Brandon Morrow, a Seattle pitcher with diabetes.

"It will be great to be down on the field and to meet him, and I'm also especially hoping to get Ichiro's autograph," Ben said before his trip to Seattle.

He's also excited about going to Washington, D.C., in June to attend sessions of Congress to promote continued government funding for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as part of the organization's Children's Congress.

Ben is the son of Richard and Winnie Rosbach of Bellingham. Their other children, Amelia, 4, and Sam, 1, show no signs of diabetes.

Question: Ben, from the way you're operating that computer to your insulin pump, you really seem to know this stuff.

Answer: I've learned a lot about diabetes and I've done research on the Internet. We have to monitor my readings several times each day, including at school.

Q: It hasn't prevented you from playing sports, right?

A: Yup, I'm in my fourth season of soccer.

Q: Richard, you must be grateful that Ben has these resources to keep him alive.

A: He has Type I diabetes, which means he is 100 percent insulin dependent. He will be throughout his life, until a cure is found, and that's what we're working toward with our fundraisers. Our family raised $10,000 last year to fight diabetes.

Q: Richard, was there any warning that Ben would have diabetes?

A: None at all. There's no history of it in either one of our families. We discovered it when Ben was 3 and he had the usual symptoms: frequent urination, excessive thirst, mood swings, loss of weight. Fortunately, we caught it very early and he spent five days at St. Joseph Hospital. Ben was the first student on a pump at Carl Cozier, and they've been great about helping him through it.

Q: What would you tell other parents?

A: Diabetes can strike at any time. There are a lot of different ideas, but there's no known definite cause. So I always say, trust your own instincts. If you think something is honestly wrong, get it checked out. I feel fortunate that Winnie was persistent.

Q: Ben, from listening to you explain your pump and computer, you don't seem afraid of public speaking.

A: I'm not. I'm fine with speaking about it. It makes me feel good.

Q: Richard, how would you sum up your challenges so far?

A: It's forced all of us as a family to grow up a lot faster than we wanted to. But it brings us together, too.