Watching a loved one cope with diabetes can be a difficult thing.

Christina King, of Niles, knows this well as two of her daughters are both living with type 1 diabetes.

“This isn’t an easy disease to deal with and causes many complications later in life,” King said. “We would like to raise awareness and, hopefully, find a cure in the near future. It is more promising everyday with the advances in medical technology.”

The Kings will be taking part in this year’s Walk To Cure Diabetes fundraiser, which is put on by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The walk raises money for JDRF, the largest nongovernmental funder of type 1 diabetes research.

Individuals and/or teams secure donations and then participate in a charity walk. This year’s local charity walk is Sept. 15 at Beutter Park in Mishawaka, Ind.

King said her team — Katie and Annie’s Fairy Flyers — have raised around $2,400 in each of the last four years.

Their goal is to raise $5,000 this year.

“It’s a very worth cause. Most people don’t realize just how many people are living with diabetes in our area,” King said.

The Kings will be holding a paddle auction fundraiser at the Bell Building, 305 Sycamore, Niles, on Aug. 21. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the auction begins at 6 p.m. All proceeds will go to JDRF. Vendors include Thirty-One, Origami Owl, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Anytime Fitness, to name a few.

For those who can’t make the auction, but still want to donate, visit the website walk.jdrf.org.

To donate to King’s team, type “Katie and Annie’s fairy flyers” in the team name search box. Make sure to select “Indiana” as the state.

The Mishawaka JDRF branch, which serves Niles and Buchanan, raised $21,000 last year.

Nationally, $110 million was raised a year ago.