Type 1 diabetes usually strikes in childhood or adolescence, and is most often People with type 1 diabetes develop the disease for reasons that are still …
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation JDRF Capitol Chapter
1400 K Street, NW 12th floor Washington, DC 20005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Rachel Cothran
JDRF Capitol Chapter
202-465-4118
rcothran@jdrforg
Local Families live Day to Day with type 1 diabetes
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month
WASHINGTON, DC —A little over two years ago, Nancy Sharma of Chantilly,
mother of five year-old Nikhil Sharma, held her son down while she pressed
yet another needle into his skin Crying and screaming, Nikhil fought
against the injection In Washington, Rhonda Bethea worries each night
that her daughter Toni wont be alive in the morning These women arent
hypochondriacs or unfit parents; in fact, they must keep up with a dizzying
routine of shots, carb-counting, and blood sugar level tests just to keep
their children alive Their children are living with juvenile, or type 1,
diabetes
Life is tough with diabetes Nikhil never
gets a day off from this
disease, and neither do I, said Nancy Sharma He doesnt get to be a
normal kid
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation JDRF, the worlds leading
charitable supporter of research into type 1 diabetes and its
complications, is urging people to learn more about the symptoms and health
effects of a devastating and unpreventable disease that affects as many as
three million Americans
Every year, more than 13,000 young children are diagnosed with type 1 or
juvenile diabetes, a chronic autoimmune disease in which a persons
pancreas stops producing insulin - a hormone that enables people to turn
food into energy
–more–
Local Families with Type 1 Diabetes 2
What happens to your body when you have type 1?
Type 1 diabetes usually strikes in childhood or adolescence, and is most
often diagnosed before the age of 30 To stay alive, people with type 1
diabetes must take multiple insulin injections daily or continually infuse
insulin through a pump and test their blood sugar While trying to balance
insulin doses with their food intake and daily activities, people with this
form of diabetes must always be prepared for serious
hypoglycemic low
blood sugar and hyperglycemic high blood sugar reactions, both of which
can be life-threatening Although life-sustaining, insulin is not a cure
nor does it prevent the debilitating complications associated with the
disease which can include kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage,
amputations, heart attack and stroke
What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
People with type 1 diabetes have a total lack of insulin; people with
type 2 diabetes have too little insulin or cannot use insulin
effectively
People with type 1 diabetes develop the disease for reasons that are
still unknown, but experts think that genetic and environmental
factors are involved People develop type 2 diabetes because of
several factors, including genetics, obesity, increasing age, and high
blood pressure
Type 1 diabetes often strikes children and young adults, while type 2
diabetes mostly happens later in life
Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented
What are the warning signs of type 1 diabetes?
Warning signs of type 1 diabetes include: extreme thirst, frequent
urination, drowsiness or lethargy, increased
appetite, sudden weight loss,
sudden vision changes, fruity odor on breath, heavy or labored breathing,
stupor or unconsciousness
JDRF International was founded in 1970 by parents of children with juvenile
type 1 diabetes JDRFs mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its
complications through the support of research Since its founding, JDRF
has awarded more than 800 million to diabetes research Please learn more
about JDRF at wwwjdrforg and the Capitol Chapter by visiting
wwwjdrfcapitolorg
