National Volunteer Week takes place from April 14 – 20, 2024, as organizations across the country celebrate those who generously donate their time and talents to their community.  The National Volunteer Week theme for 2024 is Every Moment Matters! This theme highlights the importance of every volunteer and each contribution they make at a moment when we need support more than ever. JDRF is recognizing 50 years in Canada this year, and this theme could not be more appropriate. We were started by a group of devoted parents determined to find a cure for their children living with type 1 dia ..read more

I was living in Winnipeg; I’ve spent my whole life here. I was diagnosed at the age of 6, spring of 1974, it was the May long weekend. I was not terribly sick but was showing signs: eating a lot, urinating a lot, etc. My mom had a doctor’s appointment and she brought me with her, and the family doctor recognized the symptoms and suggested she take me to the hospital, he met us there and that’s when I received my diagnosis.  My first thought as a child was regret that I hadn’t eaten the ice cream on the hospital tray, thinking I would never be able to eat it again.  I also very clear ..read more

We lived in the Niagara region. My brother who is one year older than me was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at age 4, and one year later, I turned four and I was also diagnosed. It was devastating for my parents to have both kids with T1D. And it was devastating to me because I knew it meant needles.  One of my earliest memories was having cereal with brown sugar with my dad every morning. Suddenly, I had to wait for my mom to wake up and give me the needle, and there was no more cereal with brown sugar and that special time with my dad.  Can you share what T1D management was ..read more

I’ve lived in Toronto my entire life. I’m currently 60 years old, I was diagnosed in 1970, 53 years ago. I remember getting up in the middle of the night, needing juice because I was so thirsty, I was going to the washroom all the time. I remember being diagnosed, going to the hospital for over two weeks. I went to the hospital from one house, came home to a new house, because my family moved while I was in the hospital.  Can you share what T1D management was like 50 years ago?  It certainly was different. Everything was very regimented. My mother had to weigh all the food I ate. I ..read more

Dr. James Shapiro is a British-Canadian surgeon best known for leading the clinical team that developed the Edmonton Protocol – an islet transplant procedure for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Dr. Shapiro is Professor of Surgery, Medicine, and Surgical Oncology at the University of Alberta and the Director of the Clinical Islet Transplant Program and the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program with Alberta Health Services. He holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Transplantation Surgery.  Dr. Shapiro obtained his medical degree from the University of Ne ..read more

Myrna Weiszner, one of the founders of the JDRF Winnipeg chapter and her daughter Tammy, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) 47 years ago talk about how living with T1D has changed over the years, and their involvement with JDRF.  Do you remember what it was like when Tammy was diagnosed?  Myrna – It was very scary; I was such a young mom. I was just in my early 20s. Tammy was just a toddler. It was spring and Tammy was outside playing and continuously drinking copious amounts of water and not making it to the bathroom. I recall reprimanding her about not attending to the bathroom ..read more

The last week of February 2024, JDRF Canada staff joined Health Minister Mark Holland in Ottawa as the federal government officially announced the tabling of a framework for a National Pharmacare plan (Bill C-64). This is the first major step towards a national universal pharmacare plan for Canada and a historic milestone for all Canadians living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) as the government announced that one of the first drugs that will be covered is insulin. The announcement also included a specific intention from the government to provide universal, single-payer coverage for diabetes devic ..read more

Wednesday, March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD asks us to imagine a world that knows gender equity. Globally, we are facing multiple crises that are putting immense pressure on communities, and so achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring women’s and girls’ rights across all aspects of life is the only way to secure prosperous and just economies, and a healthy planet for future generations. The theme for 2024 is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” and is a rallying cry to take joint action and #InvestInWomen to ensure women are not left behind. This could not ..read more

Living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is 24/7. Every day you must make decisions around meals, exercise, rest and more. It is the only condition that requires a daily manual replacement of the function of an organ, which is done through administration of insulin. An often-overlooked aspect of living with T1D is how this can train a person to be compliant. Learning how to manage injections, finger pricks, frequent medical appointments, and interventions, (particularly if you are diagnosed as a child and your parents asked healthcare providers questions on your behalf) can result in a lifelong chal ..read more

An often under looked aspect of living with a chronic disease like type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the stigma that can accompany it. Generally, diabetes stigma can be defined as negative perceptions, judgment, discrimination, or a prejudice against someone because of their diabetes. The majority of T1D stigma derives from a lack of understanding of the disease itself, and a belief that lifestyle factors such as diet or lack of exercise – or eating too much sugar ‘caused it’.   T1D is an autoimmune disease that cannot be prevented, but there remains a belief among many that simply changing habit ..read more