JDRF Blog

What if people at risk of developing type 1 diabetes (T1D) could curb the progression of the disease by a couple of years?

24-year old Jessica Williams, a long-time JDRF volunteer turned JDRF staff member who has been living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for 14 years now, is focused on enjoying her life as much as she can. She credits the freedom she has to her insulin pump but keeping both has been a battle.

Last month, Canada’s Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) released their first annual report which amongst other recommendations, stated that all Canadians receiving life-sustaining therapy (eg. insulin) should qualify for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).

When Kelsey Levandoski learned about the DTC through a social media group, she wanted to take advantage of it. After jumping through many hoops to get her healthcare professional on board, Kelsey was denied not once, but twice before she decided she was going to have to advocate for herself.

Shawn Wicks was an elite athlete who held his health in high-regard, trained vigorously, and competed as an MMA fighter training in Muay Thai kickboxing, but he felt something was off – his feet were always sore and he was exhausted all of the time.

“I didn’t have the energy to train, I recall days sneaking out of the gym to drink an espresso so I could finish an hour-long workout… I just attributed it to work and stress.”

Happy Father’s Day!

There is not much that Cody Westman needs to do to convince his 6-year-old son, Graham, to be an active little boy, “he goes non-stop,” says Cody. “Ice hockey, road hockey, biking, skateboarding, drums, and I do it all with him. The hardest part can be remembering to stop for snacks while we’re at it.”

Fresh on the heels of Montreal Canadiens centre and JDRF National Spokesperson Max Domi’s announcement to join thousands of fellow participants at the Sun Life Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF in Montreal this Sunday, June 9, Max Domi joined 13 families in Montreal to discuss life with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

It has only been a few months since Rowena Chan started as Senior Vice-President of Sun Life Distributors, and she has already decided to step into the role of Honorary Chair for the Sun Life Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF.

Evelyn Riddell vividly remembers the year she began university as a happy and hopeful student embarking on the first step towards her future career.

However, adjusting to university life was difficult. Evelyn, who lives with type 1 diabetes (T1D), suffered from burnout, which affected many aspects of her life.

Earlier this month, JDRF celebrated a year of tremendous achievements and welcomed prominent scientists in the field to discuss their work at its You are JDRF Conference.

Young people living with a chronic illness like type 1 diabetes (T1D) often experience anxiety which – if not treated – can quickly spiral downwards into depression. However, the link between diabetes and depression remains poorly understood and under-researched. Depression is often viewed as a natural outcome of “diabetes distress” – the emotional burden of living with the disease.

Meet Noah Silvaggio, an ambitious 16-year-old JDRF youth ambassador who was voted one of Manitoba’s Top 40 Young People to Watch in 2018 in the category of community activism and social affairs.

Dr. Timothy Kieffer, a JDRF-funded investigator and professor in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences and the Department of Surgery at the University of British Columbia, has been awarded a new two-year grant to continue his research involving insulin-producing cells as a potential cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Read on to learn more about his current research study.