JDRF Fund A Cure Luncheon
The Dallas Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, hosted its sixth annual Fund A Cure Luncheon Nov. 1 at Brook Hollow Golf Club. The luncheon helps fund much needed research to treat, prevent and cure type 1 diabetes. JDRF currently funds millions of dollars in type 1 diabetes research locally, as well as nationally and around the world. Proceeds from the luncheon will be directed towards this research.
Super Bowl Champion Isaiah Stanback and his wife Natalie were honored guests at this year’s luncheon. Their oldest daughter, Nadia, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in April 2015 at the age of three. It was at that time that Isaiah and Natalie had to develop a game plan to make sure their daughter had the best opportunity to thrive with T1D. Having grown up with family members with T1D, Natalie had first-hand knowledge as to how to manage this cumbersome disease. Most importantly, they wanted to enable her to grow with confidence. The Stanbacks shared the highs and lows of battling this disease and how they continue to fight daily for their daughter.
This year’s featured speaker was Will H. Cross, American mountain climber, and the first in the T1D community to summit Mount Everest. Cross has lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 40 years and manages his diabetes in the most extreme conditions. While facing challenges such as irregular meals, extreme temperatures, unusual sleep patterns, physical exertion, frostbite and dehydration, Cross had to learn to balance these hardships while staying healthy and taking in enough insulin. Cross shared many stories of these battles, as well as videos that were featured in a Discovery Channel documentary.
Fund A Cure Luncheon Founding Chairman, Kim Roosevelt, took the stage after Cross and talked about her personal connection to the JDRF. Her daughter Elizabeth was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age. Kim’s dedication to T1D and its research is evident in her long-standing involvement with JDRF. She currently serves on JDRF’s International Board of Directors and previously served on the Dallas Chapter Board for six years, the Dallas Chapter executive committee, the JDRF International Advocacy Committee and the JDRF International Development Committee. Kim shared news on the latest advancements in T1D research and how the technology for this disease is setting the path towards a world without type 1 diabetes.
(Photos: Tamytha Cameron)
