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Editor’s note: This Sunday feature aims to give special recognition to a letter (under 300 words) that stands out for impact, style or in another intriguing way.
U.S. Rep. Billy Long had a walking cast, but he was still stampeded by family and friends of people with type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes when they met in his office to urge him to support funding for diabetes research. We appreciate his openness.
Just a few weeks ago, we all read the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 26 million American have diabetes, or about one in 12.
Any person who is dependent on insulin (which is a therapy, not a cure) is at increased risk for heart disease, non-traumatic amputations, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and nerve damage. Jessica Hickok, who met with Long, wants to see her two young boys grow up, get married and have their own healthy children. We want that for her also.
I just want to take this opportunity to applaud the newly formed Ozarks Council of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. With their help, JDRF leads the research agenda to slow the progression of complications in the newly diagnosed, reversing it in people who have lived with diabetes for years and is moving forward to prevent the disease in people at risk and in future generations.
