Children living with Type 1 diabetes travel to Ottawa on the quest for a cure

Small bodies with big voices are living proof research leads to medical advancements

Special to The Canadian

NC —Colton Schmidt, 9, is about to embark on a great journey. He is a 'Living Proof Champion' that will be joining 63 other children, all under the age of 16 and all living with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, on a trip to Ottawa on October 28th for the bi-annual Kids for a Cure Lobby Day. This inspiring and meaningful event sees children from across Canada descend on the National Capital to have lunch and meetings with federal Members of Parliament and talk about what it means to live with Type 1 diabetes. The children aim to educate the MPs about the disease in the hopes that the government will recognize how essential it is to allocate federal funding to organizations like Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to find a cure.

"Finding a cure means everything to me," says Colton, who resides in Calgary and is one of the youth co-chairs of the Ottawa delegation. "A cure would make me feel like a normal kid. No more needles, no more finger pokes, no more worrying."

A child living with juvenile diabetes requires approximately 1,463 needles a year (based on four per day) and 2,190 finger pricks a year to test their blood sugar. Living with Type 1 diabetes means living a very structured lifestyle in order to adequately regulate blood sugar and avoid complications.

"Insulin is not a cure. These determined children are on a mission to let the government know greater attention needs to be paid to this disease if a cure is to be found, "states Andrew McKee, President and CEO of JDRF. "The theme of our 2008 Kids for a Cure Lobby Day is 'Living Proof'. Everyone with Type 1 diabetes is living proof of the effect research advancements have already had on the disease. We want them to be living proof there has been tremendous progress and momentum in Type 1 research." Mo< The children are excited to be accompanied on Parliament Hill by Sebastien Sasseville, 28, who became the first Canadian with Type 1 diabetes to summit Mount Everest on May 25, 2008.

"I climbed Mount Everest to prove that the disease is not a limitation to achievement, whether that be in sport, career, or everyday life", says Sebastien. "While I am proud of my accomplishment, I am also very proud to be a part of Kids for a Cure Lobby Day because we need to keep fighting for a cure for Type 1 diabetes."

Type 1 diabetes is a non-preventable autoimmune disease that affects more than 200,000 Canadians. It is sometimes referred to as juvenile diabetes because the majority of people are diagnosed with the disease while they are young. There are serious complications associated with Type 1 diabetes, such as blindness, amputations, kidney failure and even death. Unlike Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 can not be controlled by diet and exercise and people living with it are insulin-dependent for life. Insulin is not a cure.

JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of Type 1 diabetes research worldwide. Its mission is to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes and its complications through the support of research. For more information on JDRF or Type 1 diabetes, please check out, LINK.

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