Type 1 Diabetes Community Keeps Fighting for a Major Increase in Cure Research
New York, NY (PRWEB) October 18, 2016 -- Over 42,000 individuals in the T1D community have come together to sign the 2nd Annual More for a Cure Petition, which was launched on September 6, 2016 by the Juvenile Diabetes Cure Alliance. The Petition calls on the largest diabetes fundraising organizations to substantially increase funding for type 1 diabetes cure research, which dropped to a record low in 2015.
Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed during childhood and affects an estimated two million people in the United States. A person with the disease needs multiple injections of insulin throughout the day and must constantly monitor their blood sugar levels. Long term consequences of type 1 diabetes are often dire and include eye, heart, nerve, and kidney failure.
The 2nd Annual More for a Cure Petition acquired twice as many signatures in six weeks as last year’s petition acquired in over 4 months. “We are very pleased with the response the Petition is getting, although we are not surprised considering the fact that cure research is the number one stated priority of the T1D community,” said Phil Shaw, the JDCA’s General Manager. According to JDCA tracking data, the amount of money used to fund cure research has been declining over the past five years.
The two largest fundraising organizations for diabetes are the ADA and JDRF. In 2015, JDRF’s income was $197 million of which only 37% was used to fund type 1 diabetes research grants, down from 64% in 2008. The ADA’s annual income was $182 million, yet only 3% of that amount was used to fund type 1 diabetes research. At the same time, a vast majority of the fundraising events hosted by these organizations promise that the proceeds will be used to find a cure.
“I’ve been hearing about a cure for so long and it still hasn’t happened,” said one Petition signer. “It’s time for more research, and to finally find the cure that I’ve been hearing about most of my life.”
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About the JDCA
The JDCA is a privately funded T1D-focused nonprofit that aims to empower donors and prompt transparency in the major diabetes charities.
Sign the petition: http://petitionforacure.thejdca.org/give-our-children-a-future-free-of-diabetes/
Become an Alliance member: http://thejdca.org/join-the-alliance/
Become a fan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejdca
If you’d like more information about the petition or to schedule an interview with the JDCA General Manager Phil Shaw, please call 212-308-7433 or email bg(at)thejdca(dot)org.
Brittany Greco, Juvenile Diabetes Cure Alliance, http://www.thejdca.org, +1 212-308-7433, [email protected]
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