I found your review of expenses regarding the major non-profits in diabetes to be not only quite revealing, but something that has gone on for years. I.E., JDRF (when it was first instituted) was a really sound initiative, but as most charities progress they become an entity unto themselves with the common mistake of forgetting the mission and turning to fund-raising (organizational sustainability) as the primary goal. As the charity grows, business-types move in and look at the charity from a purely profit-and-loss project rather than advancing the founders’ goal(s).
I also wonder in JDCA’s definition of a practical cure, why there is no emphasis on restoring beta cell activity to ‘normal’ in each patient? Again, defining a cure seems to have lapsed into the patient being a set of numbers. In other words, how many blood sticks do you use? How many calories do you eat? Can you sleep through the night? What was your latest A1c? Cure is also defined as how little surgery and follow-up medications will be ‘less hassle’ than diabetes.
To me and most other diabetics who have lived with this disease, a cure means waking up in the morning without having to worry about anything but what I have to (want to) do this day. No pills. No tests. No worry the disease may come back. No doctor’s visits. And most importantly, complications will be a thing of the past. If you’re going to dream about a cure, make it complete rather than just ‘practical.’
