November is Diabetes Awareness Month.
About Type 1 (juvenile) Diabetes in Canada
By 2010, over 3 million Canadians will live with diabetes, with 300,000 living with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. Canada has the sixth highest incidence rate of type 1 diabetes in children 14 years of age or younger in the world.
Type 1 diabetes is a non-preventable autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. It is the most severe form of diabetes, attacking children and adults, leaving them insulin dependent for life.
The warning signs include extreme thirst; frequent urination; drowsiness or lethargy; sudden vision change; sudden weight loss; increased appetite; fruity, sweet or wine-like breath odour.
Type 1 diabetes is the leading cause of life threatening and debilitating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, and amputation. It demands constant vigilance to manage, and avoid complications, and there is never a break.
Getting involved for Diabetes Awareness Month
JDRF increasingly provides outreach support for children and adults living with diabetes. In honour of Diabetes Awareness Month, (or anytime), you can get involved by:
- Visiting our dedicated World Diabetes Day (November 14th) website
- Signing up for our online Research Newsletter “Frontline”
- Joining JDRF’s Clinical Trials Network
- Joining JDRF’s social networking site Juvenation
- Participating in our Mentoring program
- Participating in our Advocacy initiatives
- Donating or fundraising for a cure
Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has funded over $1.3 billion in diabetes research, including more than $156 million in 2008. We are accelerating the pace of research to a cure, and helping people with diabetes live longer, healthier, lives.
