Fundraising plea to find cure for T1D

A CHARITY walk around Lake Weeroona will raise awareness and vital funds to support research into a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D) on Sunday 16 March from 10am.

The Bendigo event is part of the world’s biggest annual fundraising drive for T1D research, organised by JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Each year about one million people from all over the world raise more than $85 million during the drive.

As passionate local JDRF parent advocate Laura Patterson said, type one diabetes is different from type two in that (it) is an autoimmune disease.

“What happens is the body’s own immune system kills the beta cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin,” she said.

“When that happens, no insulin is being produced in the body (and) the person starts to exhibit symptoms.

“It’s very important that they be treated because it’s fatal if (not).”

She said the idea of the walk is partly to get as many people as possible to understand that there’s people living in the community that have to manage the illness “8760 hours a year.”

“Living with a chronic illness like type 1 affects every facet of your life,” she said.

“It’s an opportunity for us to raise money, but it’s also an opportunity for people to stand in brotherhood and say, ‘we see you and we know what you’re going through’.

“You may or may not know who in your life is living with T1D, but there are hundreds of people living (with it) in the Bendigo community who would absolutely love to see you there.”

One Walk Bendigo takes place on Sunday 16 March at Lake Weeroona.

Register to become a fundraiser or make a donation via the JDRF website.