Village Yoga event to raise money for a diabetes cure

April 27th, 2012 · View Comments

Matty and Kelten

My name is Matt Campbell and I am a resident of Magnolia. My son Matty was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 2 years ago. He and his classmate Patrick Scott, who is also a type 1 diabetic, have formed a team (The MighT1?s, which also includes their friend Kelten) for the Beat the Bridge race…an annual event put on by Nordstrom and JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) to support JDRF in it’s efforts to find a cure for diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, also known as “juvenile diabetes,” is an autoimmune disease whereby something has caused the body to stop making insulin, a hormone necessary for converting food into energy. No one knows what exactly causes it: only 10% of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have a family member with the disease. Until a cure is found, it is a permanent condition that must be carefully monitored with frequent blood sugar checks and insulin injections either using an insulin pump or syringes. (Most people are more familiar with type 2 diabetes. With type 2, the body still produces insulin, but is not able to use it effectively without the help of medication and, in some cases, additional insulin.)