VINTON–Occasionally during a meal, “carbs” become a topic of conversation. However, as the buffet line formed at the JDRF 2013 Walk Awards banquet on November 21, carbs were “the” topic as children filled their plates.
“Let me check your carbs,” and “check your blood sugar before you eat,” were frequently heard reminders from parents and family members.
The purpose of the celebration was to honor participants in the September 22 Walk to Cure Diabetes which raised $1.3 million for research into Type 1 Diabetes.
The JDRF Greater Blue Ridge Chapter sponsored the Walk in Roanoke and the awards dinner. Several young people from the Vinton area received awards at the Celebration.
Matthew Butler, an 8th grader at William Byrd Middle School in Vinton (on right), received the Golden Sneaker Award at the JDRF Greater Blue Ridge banquet on November 21. The Golden Sneaker award goes to those who raise over $1,000 for research into Type 1 Diabetes. Butler’s team “Matthew’s Marchers” received first place honors in the Family Team Awards. Keenan McNamara, another WBMS 8th grader who was just recently diagnosed with T1D, received the Certificate of Achievement Award for raising between $500 and $999 dollars for JDRF research.
JDRF was formerly known as the Juveniles Diabetes Research Foundation, but has rebranded itself as simply JDRF, because now 85% of those with Type 1 Diabetes in the United States are adults. Their website states that “JDRF is an organization for all ages and all stages of this disease.”
November is observed worldwide as National Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the JDRF, “as many as 3 million Americans may have Type 1 diabetes. Each year, more than 15,000 children and 15,000 adults–approximately 80 people per day–are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the United States.
Type 1Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose levels. The pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone which everyone must have to survive. The body’s own immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Since individuals with T1D do not make their own insulin, they must get it through shots or an insulin pump several times a day. They must perform a balancing act between food, exercise, and insulin 24/7. Type 1 Diabetes has been called “at best a nuisance and at worst a constant threat for millions of Americans.”
This disease is not rare; it is affecting more and more people and has reached almost epidemic proportions. The JDRF says that the incidence of T1D increased 23% between 2001 and 2009.
Scientists aren’t sure what is causing the increase in numbers, but suspect that the disease is most likely triggered by a virus. Evidence suggests that both a genetic predisposition and environmental factors are involved. The onset has nothing to do with lifestyle or diet.
Symptoms of T1D, which may occur suddenly, are: extreme thirst, frequent urination, sudden vision changes, sugar in the urine, a fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on the breath, increased appetite, sudden weight loss, drowsiness, lethargy, heavy labored breathing, and unconsciousness or stupor.
The JDRF says to “call a doctor immediately if you or someone you know exhibits one or more of these symptoms. Knowing the symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes can save a life.”
Mike Stevens, the Director of Communications for the City of Salem, served as emcee at the awards dinner and recalled that September 22 was a day with perfect weather with over 900 people turning out for the 21st annual event.
Charlotte Kidd, Executive Director of the JDRF chapter, welcomed those who participated in and supported the annual walk and said that the JDRF will continue their fundraising efforts with the slogan, “All for One until Type 1 becomes Type None.”
She shared that $1.7 billion has been raised in the years since the JDRF was founded by families in the 1970, with over 80% of the funds raised going directly to research, a notable statistic in charitable giving. The artificial pancreas project at the University of Virginia is just one example of those research dollars at work.
Garnett Smith, the Honorary Walk Corporate Recruitment Chair and former CEO of Advance Auto, told the crowd that because of their efforts an anonymous donor in the Valley has presented JDRF with a check for $100,000 each year for the past twenty years.
Stevens presented awards for the 2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes to a host of individuals, teams, businesses, and corporations. He especially thanked Advanced Auto which has made JDRF a focus of their corporate giving across the nation for many years, raising over $40 million dollars in the past twenty years, and $4.3 million in 2012. They received many awards throughout the evening, both corporately and to individual employees. Much of their fundraising is done through the scan-able Sneaker Campaign.
He also thanked Kroger for supporting JDRF and other charities in the region in “so many ways.”
“This Valley would be a sad place without Advance Auto and Kroger,” said Stevens.
During the awards portion of the program, Keenan McNamara, an 8th grader at William Byrd Middle School, received a Certificate of Achievement Award given to those who raised between $500 and $999 for JDRF. His walking team is named Team K-Mac, captained by his mother, Hunter Wright.
McNamara was first diagnosed this past summer at age 13. His mother says that he had a strep infection that he seemed to recover from, but began to display symptoms of T1D soon afterwards and ended up in the Emergency Room where he was diagnosed.
Matthew Butler, also an 8th grader at WBMS, received the Golden Sneaker Award given to those who raise over $1000 in the Walk. He was diagnosed as a first grader. His team, Matthew’s Marchers, also won first place in the Family Team Awards, raising $6,640. Family teams accounted for $100,000 of the $1.3 million raised by the Greater Blue Ridge Chapter. Butler has been a longtime support of JDRF and was chosen as a delegate to the JDRF Children’s Congress last summer, sent to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress to advocate for research funding for T1D.
Jack Beheler (on left) received a Golden Sneaker Award for raising over $1000 for the JDRF, as did Nicholas Toney (on right). Toney was diagnosed with T1D at age two. Beheler does not have diabetes himself, but participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes for his brother, Anthony.
Nicholas Toney and Jack Beheler of Vinton also received the Golden Sneaker Award for raising over $1,000.
Toney is five years old and was diagnosed at age 2 weeks after suffering from a viral infection. His team is Nicholas’ Choo Choo Express. His mother, Martha Gish-Toney is the leader of the team.
Beheler does not have T1D himself, but wanted to walk to find a cure for his brother, Anthony, who was recently diagnosed with the disease. His team is Anthony’s Allies, captained by his mother Amanda Beheler.
Many groups celebrating the fundraising achievements at the Holiday Inn Valley View were multi-generational because managing the disease often involves an extensive support system including not just parents and their children, but grandparents and other caregivers who all need to be educated in the finer details of dealing with T1D, described by Stevens as a disease which affects victims and their families “each and every day, each and every hour, each and every minute.”
Information on the Walk and the local JDRF Greater Blue Ridge Chaper are available online at http://greaterblueridge.jdrf.org/.