Hey, it's Shaggy, shoehorning in on Scott's blog while he's on his flight to DC.
I'm, once again, walking in the JDRF One Walk to help raise funds to fight Type 1 Diabetes. My daughter, Ella, was diagnosed T1D three years ago. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that keeps your body from producing insulin. Her own immune system turned on her pancreas, and now she's unable to naturally manage her blood sugars. It is, to put it bluntly, a bummer.
The research that's funded in part by the JDRF has made great strides in managing this autoimmune disease. The technology around Type 1 is awesome: insulin pumps that can automatically do the carb counting math for you. Continuous Glucose Monitors that check her blood sugar, sends that info to her phone, which then sends it to my phone... super cool, if not anxiety-inducing when I start getting notifications that she's getting into dangerous territory. What's super cool now is that the pumps talk to the CGMs, and they can make adjustments on their own if they realize someone's about to be in a world of hurt. And a cure is shockingly close: it feels like every other week I see a story about something that's seen a successful trial in mice.
None of this advancement happens with funding from organizations like the JDRF. And that funding comes, ultimately, from you.
I know we're in the middle of fundraiser season. I know you're already tapped out after the summer. But if you can spare a little more, you can help turn Type 1 into Type None.
This year's Toledo One Walk takes place at Ottawa Park on September 16th. To donate to Shaggy's team, or to register to walk yourself, click here.