The JDRF

The JDRF. Are you familiar with this organization? It stands for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

my pump gear just received a letter from our chapter of the JDRF today in the mail. It is a letter for vendors who plan to be at the annual walk in the fall. Along with all the business and insurance info they sent, the following comes from an insert that was included.

Committed to a Cure

Every 30 seconds someone is diagnosed with diabetes; more than 1.3 million people are diagnosed each year. Diabetes is one of the most severe forms of chronic disease that accounts for nearly $132 billion of annual health care costs in the United States. Over 24 million Americans have diabetes and as many as 3 million have type 1 diabetes.

Usually striking before age 20, type 1 diabetes takes a harsh toll - people with the disease are insulin-dependent for life, and suffer complications such as blindness, amputation, heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Insulin is not a cure for diabetes; it is merely life support.

Controlling the disease requires non-stop vigilance. It's a grueling regimen that involves eating a carefully calculated diet, checking blood glucose levels up to ten times a day (by pricking a finger), insulin injections (as many as six per day), or delivery of insulin through a pump - just to maintain life. It means children and adults with type 1 diabetes and their families must live by the clock, day and night, until there is a cure.

The mission of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. JDRF is closer than ever to finding a cure for this devastating disease. Together, we will be the people who cure diabetes.

We did the high-lighting! Whew!...that really stuck out to me. Sometimes when I'm hovering around school or showing hesitation at a playdate, sometimes...I just want to scream--this is our reality! So hard to explain. But there it is, in black & white (& purple!).

The JDRF. That's some great hope you got there!