Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

November is American Diabetes Month, during which efforts are made to spread awareness about the danger of developing diabetes, and people and organizations join together to fight the disease and to prevent it. The leading organization in actively combating type 1 diabetes is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which supports diabetes research internationally. Type 1 diabetes is a disease whose onset occurs immediately, and whose symptoms last for a lifetime. It often develops in childhood and persists into adulthood, but individuals can also develop type 1 diabetes when they are adults. People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes suffer from insulin deficiency because their bodies are attacking the cells that produce it. Insulin is necessary to regulate blood sugar, so patients must inject insulin regularly. However, insulin itself isn’t enough to get rid of diabetes, and the ultimate goal of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is to find a cure for juvenile type 1 diabetes.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation arose in 1970, formed by parents of children with type 1 diabetes in order to raise money for diabetes research. As of today, it has raised more than $1.3 billion to fight diabetes. This money is distributed worldwide and it has helped fund major advancements in scientific diabetes research. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation also puts this research into practice by distributing treatments that help the immune system work properly, replace islet cells and regenerate beta cells that are important for insulin, and control metabolism. And while the organization has largely to do with the scientific aspect of fighting diabetes, it includes people from all over who are personally invested in finding a cure. Academic researchers, industry researchers, businesspeople, volunteers, donors and supporters all work together in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to advance research, to provide charity efficiently, and to bring together a community.

We can support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation through a number of ways. We can donate, take part in fund raisers, participate in clinical trials, buy merchandise, work in the organization, and spread the word about what’s going on with diabetes and what can be done. In the way that diabetes research aims to prevent diabetes as soon as possible in childhood, we should take action right away in doing our part. With 24 million child and adults suffering from diabetes in the US and 1 out of every 3 children born today at risk for diabetes, we can’t afford to let this disease run rampant.