Did You Know?

Facts about type 1 diabetes and
the Diabetes Dash for Kids

How did the DD4K start?

This race was conceptualized in the grocery store in the spring of 2008. Our son, Cole, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2007 right before 1st grade. We told him that everyone has something (as our hearts were breaking) and this would be his challenge. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you have, we said, but what you do with it that counts. So when he asked: "So, what are we doing about diabetes?" I thought, "What ARE we doing?!"

So somewhere in between the organic section and the dairy aisle of the grocery store the idea for a race came about. By the time we were in the checkout line initial brainstorming had begun. People will tell you that type 1 diabetes is a lifelong disorder. But the interesting thing about life is that it can change in a day. I told Cole we'd give the scientists and researcher 5 years to figure out diabetes before we took matters into our own hands… ?

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is presently a life-altering disorder that can arise in children or adults. It occurs when the body's immune system gets the wrong message and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. You need insulin to digest food. So the good news is that there is insulin that you can take. The bad news is that it comes in the form of an injection one way or another.

Insulin was discovered on July 30, 1921 by a young doctor named Fredrick Banting and a medical student, Charles Best at the University of Toronto – it happened in one day. Before insulin was discovered, people died from type 1 diabetes. Insulin treatment, however, is not a cure; nor can it prevent the long-term complications of diabetes.

• Based on 2002 to 2003 data, 15,000 children in the United States are newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes annually.
• That translates to about 41 new cases of type 1 diabetes a day.
• You are more likely to get type 1 diabetes if you live in the Northern rather than in the Southern states – they don't know why.
• To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump for every piece of food they eat and for every waking minute.
• Cole checks his blood sugar about 10-12x/day. That is 4368 finger sticks per year (and that's probably a low estimate!)
• He must do an injection to change out his insulin pump every 2 days. That's 183 shots/year.
• Estimated Total Diabetes Costs in the United States in 2007: $174 billion

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)

JDRF is the leading charitable fundraiser and advocate of type 1 diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. 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.

All the proceeds from the Diabetes Dash for Kids will go to JDRF. Thank you SO much for your support!