Yesterday we reviewed a strategy for making your New Year’s resolutions successful. You may think that curing diabetes is a much more complicated goal than losing weight or getting a promotion at work. It certainly is- which is why we need a detailed and defined strategy to help us achieve it.
The JDCA’s resolution for this year (and every year until 2025) is to make a SMART goal and focus research toward a cure for type 1 diabetes.
S: We need to define a cure in order to work towards a specific outcome.
M: If we define what we are working towards, we can measure progress to isolate challenges and focus efforts toward overcoming them. So, the JDCA has defined a Practical Cure and a 2025 cure by date to concentrate research and resources.
A: We need to be action oriented to focus resources and energies toward a Practical Cure. As donors and people who want a type 1 cure, we need to step up and require it. We need to ask questions about where our donations are going. You can ensure that your donation is only used to advance research projects that can achieve a Practical Cure by attaching a Donor Action Letter with your donation.
R: We are realistic and realize that this is an immensely complex task. However, if we do not set a date there will be no accountability and drive to deliver a cure. A cure by date of 2025 is relevant for people now living with type 1 diabetes. People who donate to charities and research organizations want to see a tangible cure in their lifetime.
T: We need to set a cure by date in order to achieve a tangible and timely cure for people now living with diabetes. People who are donating want to create a sense of urgency and push research toward a cure for themselves and their loved ones.
While the JDCA is very unique in the diabetes community with our defined outcome and timeline, we are not alone in believing that immense goals call for thoughtful, defined and focused action.
The National Breast Cancer Coalition is a “powerful voice, speaking for women and men across the country, demanding an end to breast cancer by January 1, 2020”. In September 2010 they launched a campaign, the Breast Cancer Deadline 2020, to call policymakers, researche
rs, breast cancer advocated and others to action.
The JDCA is uniting voices for a cure in order to prompt transparency and focus research. We are not promising a cure by 2025, but we know that we will not achieve this unless we define our outcome and concentrate resources toward projects working to achieve our goal.
We have made a resolution- we are not simply going to take the chance that a cure will be the product of other research. We need a focused and defined initiative toward a Practical Cure.
Join us by becoming part of the Alliance. Every voice should be heard.
-Cara
