Hundreds of walkers are hoping to raise $137,000 for this year’s Jackson Walk for Diabetes to support diabetes research and find a cure.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation event will be held Sept. 17 at Ella Sharp Park. The walk, which was started in 1999 by Robert Craft of the Craft Agency, has brought in more than $2.2 million since its inception.
Craft said the turnout for the event shows people are hopeful for a cure for the disease. The walk raised about $130,000 last year.
“The response has frankly been overwhelming by the Jackson community,” Craft said. “It’s a feel-good day and a day that reminds everyone that we’re close to a cure.”
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to properly control blood sugar levels. Some of diabetes’ effects include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke and amputation, according to the foundation.
More than 30,000 children and adults are diagnosed with the disease each year in the U.S., said Cathy Coury, executive director of the JDRF’s Michigan Great Lakes West Chapter.
“It’s diagnosed at all stages of life,” she said.
Diabetes is a growing disease, but researchers are performing more clinical trials to find a cure, Coury said.
More than 80 percent of JDRF’s spending goes directly to support research and education about diabetes.
According to its website, the foundation has raised $1.5 billion since it was founded in 1970.
“I’ve always loved coming to the walk (in Jackson),” she said. “The entire community rallies around this event.”
