The October issue of Stroll Firethorne is reaching mailboxes this week, and the whole edition is online and free to read right now if you would rather not wait for it.
The cover belongs to the Shealy family, who are Clemson through and through. Danielle and Joe met there in 2001, married shortly after graduation, and kept traveling back for Tigers games from Florida and from Arkansas before returning to the Carolinas in 2018. They have been in Firethorne eight years now, with three children: Samantha, 19, a sophomore at NC State; Brooks, a senior at Marvin Ridge High School; and Harper, a sophomore there. Two boxers, Berkeley and Roxy, run the place.
What the cover story is really about is 2016, the year Samantha was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. There was no family history of it. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease, in which the body attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas; it can affect anyone and is not caused by diet or lifestyle, and Samantha's doctors believe a virus set hers off. What the family did with it is the reason they are on the cover. Her mother, Danielle, volunteers with the type 1 diabetes research nonprofit Breakthrough T1D and sits on its gala fundraising committee. Samantha spent eight of the next ten years as a youth ambassador for the organization. Between them the family has raised more than $50,000 for research, and the organization's 25th annual gala, the one Danielle helps put together, drew more than 700 guests to The Revelry at Camp North End and brought in over $2.14 million.
Precious Pet, the page that introduces one neighborhood animal a month, this month belongs to Nala, a Bengal cat of the snow lynx variety whom Angela and Ron Barthel brought home in August 2018. Ron found the name while reading about jungle cats, which suits a breed descended in part from the Asian leopard cat, and Nala has turned out to be about as far from a reserved housecat as a cat gets. She uses every tower, bed and toy in the house, runs toward commotion rather than away from it, and holds up her end of a conversation.
Four dates for the calendar, and the first one is close. Trick or Treat in the Park is Friday, October 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Marvin Efird Park, 8909 New Town Road, and the Village of Marvin tree lighting follows at the same park on Saturday, December 5. Light The Night, the Charlotte walk that supports the blood cancer nonprofit Blood Cancer United, is Saturday, November 14; this month's Making a Difference page tells that story, and details are at lightthenight.org. And the Stroll holiday party, shared across both of our magazines, is Thursday, November 5, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Zinicola, the Italian restaurant in Ballantyne Village, with food, music and door prizes. RSVP is open now, either through the QR code in the magazine or on the event page.
The PDF carries the whole issue, cover to cover. Only some of it runs here as separate stories. Staying in print this month: a breast cancer screening explainer written by an oncologist with MUSC Health, the resident business guide, and the call-outs to nominate a neighborhood veteran or a young achiever. A partner spotlight on EverPeak Roofing is coming to the site later this month.
And as always, the issue runs on our neighborhood partners. The businesses listed in the resident business guide are what pay for this magazine to reach your door. When you need a roofer, a realtor, a dentist, or somewhere to board the dog, start there, and thank them when you get the chance.
Read the full October edition: download the October 2026 issue of Stroll Firethorne (PDF).
Catching up? September is online too. Happy October, neighbors.