JDRF

My work is a corporate sponsor of JDRF and the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes walk is coming up September 27th. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the #1 non-profit funder of diabetes research worldwide. $.85 of every $1 raised, goes back to fund research. There are many devastating diseases in our world right now, and that saddens us. The difference with juvenile diabetes is that wiping it out of existence is extremely attainable and within reach.

My mom suffers from adult diabetes. I have several dear friends who suffer from diabetes, as well. I lost someone very special to me almost 9 years ago who suffered from diabetes. At the time he died, he was only 19.

Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes, is a devastating, often deadly disease that affects millions of people--a large and growing percentage of them children. Many people think type 1 diabetes can be controlled by insulin. While insulin does keep people with type 1 diabetes alive, it is NOT a cure. Aside from the daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes, there are many severe, often fatal, complications caused by the disease. That's the bad news... and yes, it's pretty bad.
The good news, though, is that a cure for type 1 diabetes is within reach. In fact, JDRF funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research to date. And JDRF funds a major portion of all type 1 diabetes research worldwide, more than any other charity.

I'll tell a quick story of this little girl who came and spoke to a group of us here at work. She is 6 years old, actually she'll be 7 on Friday (same as my b-day). She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 3. She got up and gave a speech with absolutely no assistance from her dad. Anyways, she has been pricked (in her finger) over 10,000, had over 5000 shots, etc. She said, 'When I'm at a birthday party and my friends are watching the candles be lit. I can't watch b/c I have to be pricking my finger (testing her insulin) to see if my blood sugar is ok enough for me to be able eat cake and ice cream.' She continued on about her experience in living with diabetes and it really touched my heart. She was the most precious little girl, but to put myself in her shoes for just a few minutes, was such a reality check. To put myself in her dad's shoes as a parent, made the reality check even more surreal.

This year, I'll be taking part in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk to Cure Diabetes along with a half-million other walkers across the country. Our goal: To raise $100 million to help fund research for a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications. My goal is to raise $300. Please click on this link if you would like to contribute to the cause - http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87089680 - any amout you can donate is greatly appreicated.