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Enid billionaire Harold Hamm and his wife, Sue Ann, are committed to finding cures for diabetes in their lifetimes.
Not only for Harold Hamm, who has Type 2 diabetes, but also for the millions of adults and children who are afflicted with the disease.
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Enid couple pledges $20 million for diabetes center in Oklahoma
The Hamms have pledged to give $20 million to the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Their donation, the largest single gift in the Health Sciences Center’s history, will support diabetes research, treatment and prevention. It adds to $10.5 million the Hamms gave previously to help create and support the diabetes center. The newest donation will be used to update research laboratories, support research endeavors and attract and retain top researchers and physicians. It will also help launch a five-year, $100 million fundraising campaign. A 33-member board of advisers, including many state and community leaders, has been created to help direct the center. Harold Hamm is founder, chairman and CEO of Continental Resources Inc., an oil and gas exploration and production company. Sue Ann Hamm has served on several boards and associations. She is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association. The Hamms declined to comment about the donation, saying they didn’t want the focus of the news to be about them. Their gift will give physicians and researchers at the diabetes center the support and continuity they need to provide quality services and develop cures, said Timothy Lyons, director of the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center. “It’s difficult to exaggerate the importance of addressing the diabetes epidemic in Oklahoma,” Lyons said.
Diabetes is a condition that can affect people of all ages. It happens when a person’s body doesn’t make or properly use insulin, a hormone which converts sugar into energy.
An estimated 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. That’s more than 8 percent of the U.S. population. Oklahoma ranked sixth in the nation for highest percentage of the population with diabetes, according to The State of State Health, a report by the New America Foundation. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness among adults, according to the ADA. It can also make people more prone to heart disease, high blood pressure, loss of limbs and nervous system damage. Diabetes is especially prevalent among American Indians. About 16 percent of American Indians and Alaska natives have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of Americans with diabetes has been increasing. The CDC estimates that if current trends continue, one in three children in the United States could have diabetes by 2050. In Oklahoma, one in every two people would develop diabetes if rates persisted, Lyons said. There are several types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in children or young adults. Sufferers typically need daily insulin shots. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of cases. Type 2 diabetes often can be prevented through healthy diet and exercise, Lyons said. Women who are pregnant also can develop a form of diabetes called gestational diabetes. Lyons said diabetes is a complicated condition that likely will need a number of cures. He said finding those cures in this lifetime is possible because science is progressing at an amazing rate.Researchers at the center are developing ways to block the development of diabetic eye diseases and prevent complications for pregnant women with diabetes, among other initiatives. They hope to train and educate people throughout the state about risks and prevention, Lyons said.
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