There are so many incredible, charitable foundations out there, each as worthy as the next. For most of us however, since our time, energy, and financial resources are limited, we must pick and choose those that are most meaningful to us.
For many of us, we make those choices based on the causes most relevant and applicable to those we care about.
For me, that is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Their mission is to improve lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications.
When my granddaughter Ellie was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 7, life changed forever. Life as a Type 1 Diabetic, requires constant vigilance in monitoring food consumption, activity level, and blood sugar, in order to correctly dose yourself with insulin. Not monthly, weekly, or daily- but constantly. Injections, finger pricks, glucose monitors, and insulin pumps are just part of the arsenal of tools that allow Ellie, and every other person with Type 1 Diabetes, to live. Yes, without these interventions, Type 1 Diabetes is fatal. Yet with these life-saving advances, Type 1 Diabetics can live a long and rewarding life, becoming NFL players, (like Jay Cutler), actors, (like Vanessa Williams), or Supreme Court Justices (like Sonia Sotomayor).
Before insulin was discovered in 1921, people with Type 1 Diabetes stood little chance of surviving long. The first insulin pump prototype, created in 1963, was so large it had to be carried in a backpack. Today, Ellie’s pump, is a two-inch disk adhered to her body and attached to a reservoir container she clips on her belt.
This type of life-altering research and development takes money. JDRF, established in 1970, has moved that mission forward. In 2021, they raised $242 million dollars.
Today is the JDRF Fund Raising Walk. I am looking forward to gathering with friends, family, and even strangers, as we all walk to raise money and awareness.
One Walk for a World Without Type 1 Diabetes!
