Walk for a Cure, Juvenile Diabetes

I know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I am a huge supporter, as my Mother is a breast cancer survivor of over 40 years. However, any of you who may have read my bio or have been following this blog for any stretch of time know that my 19 year old son Edward, has Juvenile or Type 1 Diabetes. Yesterday, in the beautiful Roger Williams Park in Providence, RI, we had our annual 'Walk for a Cure'. There were close to 6000 people ( many of our 4 legged friends as well) at the event! Walk for a Cure is an annual event which takes place throughout our nation. The goal is to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that strikes children suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications that may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.16 billion to diabetes research, including more than $137 million in FY2007. In FY2007, the Foundation funded 700 centers, grants and fellowships in 20 countries.

I want to give huge thank you thank you thank you to Jenny Mello and Mary Ellen Rivet from the Rhode Island Branch for their tireless efforts to raise a ton of money for research to find a cure. Thank you is not, and will never be enough.