Juice manufacturer Old Orchard Brands is expanding its financial support for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). A press release issued by the company announced intentions to give up to one million dollars in new funding. The company hopes to raise money for the JDRF with its Healthy Balance Challenge, in which twenty cents from each sale of Old Orchard Brands Healthy Balance line of low-sugar fruit juices will be donated to the JDRF.

The JDRF accepted Old Orchard's support last year and, according to Old Orchard, the company has pledged $650,000 worth of cash and product donations through 2009. Money raised through the Healthy Balance Challenge will be in addition to that sum. Arnold Donald, CEO of the JDRF, says partners such as Old Orchard Brands "care deeply about the work we do in researching a cure for type 1 diabetes. They continue to support our organization with innovative retail-driven programs that increase funding for research, and that's a rare and valuable partner to have."

You could also say that every dollar in support for the JDRF equals good publicity and increased sales for Old Orchard. Of course, I would never be so cynical.

Seriously, you'd have to have a heart of pure stone not to be moved by this YouTube video called "Hope is in a Cure." To a fairly sappy soundtrack (okay, okay I'm not a Mariah Carey fan), we see a photo slideshow unfold, telling the story of one little girl's daily experiences with type 1 diabetes. The power of this piece is in its simplicity: a series of one family's snapshots illustrates perfectly what these brave kids go through and the sacrifices the whole family must make when type 1 enters a child's life. Not to mention the agony the moms and dads go through. That is something I can only imagine - and hope I never have to experience myself.

There's a heartbreaker of a shot in here of the little girl asleep, hands tucked daintily and securely under her pillow, asleep and in one sense relaxed, yet on guard against the next skin prick she knows will eventually come.

"Hope is in a Cure" was posted by Lisa of Londonderry, New Hampshire. I don't know who made it. Check it out today. Better yet, send the link to a few people you know. Too few people understand what "type 1 families" live with day-to-day. Let people know that diabetes never takes a vacation and never sleeps. And let them know the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation needs our support - you can start by supporting the upcoming Walk to Cure Diabetes.

The News-Record of Greensboro, North Carolina, reports on a local entrepreneur who's come up with a novel way to raise money for a good cause. Land developer Roy Carroll plans to donate the profits from one of his new houses to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Carroll, whose sixteen-year-old daughter has Type 1 diabetes, will make the donation just as soon as the house is sold. All the material and labor for the house will be donated. Carroll expects the house to be finished in November and estimates it will sell for around $168,000.

Generous? Yes. Not to mention something of a tradition, this being the third house Carroll has built as a fundraiser for the JDRF, an organization that Carroll hopes will eventually be successful in its bid to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. A happy spokesperson for the local chapter of the JDRF says all the money from a big donation like that can be channeled directly to research.

Carroll's wife, Vanessa, is a JDRF volunteer who says being involved with the organization has been her "therapy" since the diagnosis of their daughter Brittany four years ago. As for her husband, he plans to continue doing his bit to help out, saying he will continue to build one house per year for the JDRF until a cure is found. He also hopes this will inspire other people in the construction industry to dive in and initiate similar projects.

NBA player Adam Morrison was sitting on Mary Tyler Moore's left at last Tuesday's Senate hearing on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's (JDRF) Children's Congress 2007. Moore asked the Senate to ante up another five-year round of funding for the Special Diabetes Project ($200 million a year) to support targeted type 1 diabetes research.

To kids with diabetes, Morrison is not just an NBA star -- he is a role model. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 14. Mirroring his all-out hustle on the basketball court, Morrison's testimony to the Senate was 100 percent heart. He shared how playing professional basketball with type 1 diabetes demands a disciplined regimen. He tests his blood glucose levels several times during games, focusing simultaneously on game strategy and type 1 management. He faithfully eats two 5 ounce steaks, vegetables and a baked potato precisely two hours and 15 minutes before each game to keep his blood glucose as stable as possible.

Off court, Morrison wears an insulin pump and tests his blood glucose 10 to 12 times a day. He poignantly explained kids with type 1 diabetes never get a break, they never can call a time out when it comes to their diabetes. Morrison encouraged the 150 Children's Congress kid delegates to dream big, anything is possible, but they need to listen to the doctor and vigilantly keep their disease in check. When addressing the Senators, Morrison asked them to have the same determination to fund the Special Diabetes Project. Insulin is only temporary life support, research is the road toward the ultimate championship -- a cure.

As my parents explained it to me, when your child is diagnosed with diabetes you are slapped in the face with a shocking revelation: we can't fix this! However a blessing in disguise was bestowed upon Dylan Fossella, an 11- year-old boy who also happens to be the son of Vito Fossella, a Congressman from Staten Island.

Dylan Fossella, was just five years old when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He will be one of 150 other children and teenagers living with type 1 diabetes from across the country heading to D.C. on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. They will speak to lawmakers to encourage funding toward a cure. To earn the trip to Washington, he had to write a letter to his local Congressman, who happens to be his dad. The message Dylan most wants his dad and other politicians to hear is the same message I promoted when I visited Washing D.C in the 1990s with the American Diabetes Association: find a cure in my lifetime, please.

Over the years, many people have regarded diabetes as a disease that's manageable. True -- but that's easier said than done. For kids like Dylan that means checking your sugar about four times a day (or more) and upwards of six insulin shots a day. As a personal reflection -- I consider myself lucky to be one of the 13,000 children chosen in 1985 for juvenile diabetes. Here I am 22 years later, blogging on behalf of Dylan. It is my hope that he and his family can make a difference for all of us wishing for that cure. Have a great time in D.C, Dylan. It'll be the memory of a lifetime!

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation announced that they have formed a partnership with MacroGenics. JDRF is providing up to $2 million to fund a clinical trial of a compound called anti-CD3 that has shown promise in slowing the progression of type 1 diabetes.

Anti-CD3 is capable of reducing the autoimmune attack that destroys insulin-producing beta cells. The treatment preserves beta cell function in newly diagnosed patients, and has the potential to decrease insulin requirements, leading to better glucose regulation, and decrease the complications of diabetes. Anti-CD3 blocks the function of CD3 cells - the T cells that destroy islets. The antibodies prevent "activation" of the T cells after they have identified their target, disarming them launching the attack on islets.

Let's hope the peace talks between JDRF, MacroGenics, anti-CD3 and killer Ts result in progressive measures to make the type 1 diabetic body a peaceful place, once and for all.

Join Dr. Aaron Kowalski for a live chat on the Artificial Pancreas Project, December 12 at 9pm Eastern Standard Time. Thanks to Gina Capone of Diabetes Talkfest, you will have a chance to ask questions and learn more about this tremendous project poised to revolutionize diabetes management.

Dr. Kowalski and his brother Stephen have lived with type 1 diabetes for the greater part of their lives. Visit YouTube® to view a 10 minute presentation Dr. Kowalski gave, where he shares his personal story on the tough issues diabetes has raised in his life. He describes how his brother's hypoglycemic unawareness impacted his daily life for the past 30 years and Kowalski explains how an artificial pancreas would benefit people with type 1 diabetes.

Managing diabetes is a full time job. Emotions need not apply. In a perfect world, your job is to keep your blood sugars in the range of 80 to 120 always. There is no exception to this rule. We all know abiding this law is nearly impossible because we are not machines. A device programmed to enforce this policy and arrest sugars precariously trending out of this range is exactly what we need to oversee our safe existence. The YouTube video is a great appetizer to the live chat. I hope you all can attend Tuesday night on Diabetes Talkfest. See you there!

Although I am relatively new to the blogging scene, I am learning the ropes, and loving it. Many of the other bloggers have been more than accommodating (and, excuse the pun, but quite sweet) as I'm acclimating myself to the standard blogging etiquette. My latest revelation is the annual event, held by the official Diabetes OC website where readers, like you, judge the best blogging sites out there.

This is the 2nd Annual Diabetes O.C. Blog Award. The awards present an opportunity for O.C. members and readers to honor people who are making an extraordinary difference in the diabetes community through their blogs. The awards program feature several categories, including: Best Blog, Best Female Blogger, Best Male Blogger, Best Adult with Type 1 Blog, Best Adult with Type 2 Blog, Best Parent Blog, Best Professional News Blog, and Best Non-Blog Diabetes Resource.

Allison Blass, the can-do cupcake running the show over at the Diabetes OC, notified me that The Diabetes Blog has been nominated for the Best Professional News Blog. Yay!!! So I ask those of you reading The Diabetes Blog, if you like what you've been reading, vote it loud, and vote it proud. Thanks for the heads-up, Allison!

I'm the lady and the Lobster is brought to us by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. On Friday, December 1, 2006 there will be a Lobster Bash held in Babylon, NY. The event will take place at the Venetian Yacht Club. I would like to find 9 guests to join me. The table costs $1,000, so it will cost $100 a person - the balance of $55 is fully tax deductible.

I'll pay for my ticket. I'm inviting anybody within a convenient distance to join me. Come to the event, meet me, and tell me what's on your mind. Oh, and if none of that wets your whistle, maybe this will excite you: open bar, silent auction, and dancing. I've been told I dance like Elane Benes from Seinfeld. It's not true. I don't think so, anyway.

Ladies and Gentleman please don't send me out to the wolves in the CraigsList platonic neighborhood. Yes, I've been known to dabble in the singles scene, shamelessly. This is a different call to action. This is for philanthropy, supporting the research efforts of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Lobster buffet, open bar, and good times. Need a girl ask for a more socially-rounded experience? You are all cordially invited to attend! Leave me feedback or email if you would like further details.

MySpace, YouTube®, nowadays anybody with a PC and a mission has a fighting chance. Those of us, like Tim McGee, have learned how to get the word out when it counts. He founded The REAL McGee, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to help cure diabetes.

Every year The REAL McGee participates in various events to raise funds for diabetes. The JDRF "Walk to Cure" is one, along with other American Diabetes Association efforts, like the launch of this melodically informative video. But Tim felt he could do more...and he did.

Tim created a benefit concert called Rock to Cure Diabetes. He invites friends and family of diabetics to come together, enjoy live performances of local bands, donate money to research agencies like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association. This event is a place where local bands can come out of the garage and show everyone what they are made of while raising money to cure diabetes. Rock on, Tim!

Yes folks, that cursed holiday is once again upon us. We each deal with the ritual in our own way. A bucket of candy on the front porch for some, a designated door greeter to toss treats for others, or just simply pretending nobody's home. Whatever your answer to this nutritionally vacant event, we all know it's all about the kids. In search of a few bright ideas for an otherwise brainless act (a little bitter? maybe), here are a few options for diabetics on Halloween.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation posted a Survival Guide for Parents. By the time your diabetic child is trick-or-treating or being invited to Halloween parties, they generally know what they can and can't eat. The best ideas to help make sure there on no real scares on the 31st include: bartering candy for cash or toys, focus on fun and not food, and if all else fails-take inventory to cautiously measure the carnage of carbohydrates.

This leads to the next article, published by children with DIABETES. They went the realistic route of addressing the carbohydrate consequences of Halloween. They feature a table of carbohydrate values for common candies found door-to-door. Smart cookies, those children with DIABETES folks!

Last, but certainly never least is the American Diabetes Association. They focus on some guidelines to emphasize the sport of Halloween. Their top suggestions include: emphasizing the creative efforts of your child's costume, planning a Halloween party where you have full control over the menu, and indulging in the activities of the holiday like hayrides and haunted houses. All great tips to help parents and kids make it through yet another Halloween. Boo!

Stealing. It's bad. It's wrong. But how about stealing from kids with diabetes? Now that's just heinous! A New Jersey woman has been accused of this crime - according to police, she embezzled nearly $17,000 from the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The woman, Betty Wong (44), could be sent to jail for up to five years if she is found guilty. It is alleged that Wong funneled $16,893 into four personal accounts in - get this - fifty-four separate transactions! Good Lord, did she think they would not catch her?! The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation stated that standard auditing procedures alerted the organization's bosses to the loss.

Will and Eva Clarke of Richmond, Virginia are on a mission. That mission is to educate people about Type 1 diabetes and, boy, they are aiming high. They are campaigning for the introduction of a state license plate to raise money for diabetes research in Virginia. The couple has also enlisted the help of Eva's friend, Cheri Wolff, who came up with a proposed design for the plate: a bright and colorful picture of two kids flying a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) flag and, at the bottom of the plate, the slogan "drive out diabetes."

I say the Clarkes are aiming high because it's not easy to get a new plate added to state designs. (Unless you have friends in high places, perhaps...) They have to sell 350 sets of the plates by the end of the month. If they can't get enough pledges, they'll be turned down. And at last count they were still 100 pledges short. To sign up for a set of the plates, visit the Virginia page of the JDRFs website or call (804) 254-8014.

I can't say I've heard much in the news lately about diabetics who were displaced or otherwise affected by last year's disastrous Hurricane Katrina. However, sifting through some news from earlier this month, I came across this from the Baton Rouge Advocate: staff at the Baton Rouge branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation have been scrambling ever since Katrina. In the wake of the hurricane, the New Orleans office of the foundation closed down. In the ensuing months, the Baton Rouge staff have been working, with the assistance of a team of volunteers, to provide services and supplies to young diabetics and their families displaced by the storm.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation was founded in 1970. It has provided over $900 million to fund diabetes research, with the ultimate goal of helping find a cure for the disease. The foundation's director expressed hopes that this year's annual fund-raiser event will be an extra-big success, as the money is very badly needed.

Today -- if you so desire -- you can check out the second of two articles on diabetes from The New York Times. Yesterday I discussed the first of the two. This is an interesting angle, too. It's all about difference. There are two diabetes communities, the author says, and they might as well be in different worlds -- Type 1 and Type 2.

He talks about how they all share the label diabetic, yet Type 1 and Type 2 sufferers don't have all that much in common. Also, fundraising for research into Type 1 diabetes has been much more successful than that for Type 2 diabetes. Why? Well, Type 1 diabetics and their families come from all walks of life, so have a goodly number of well-educated, higher-earning people on their side to help advocate for the cause. Type 2 diabetics, on the other hand, are more likely to be older, poor, overweight and members of ethnic minority communities.  Another big factor holding back fund raising for Type 2 appears to be stigma. Type 2 is associated with poor lifestyle choices and, therefore, gets a whole lot less community sympathy.

As a result, Type 1 diabetics and their families are trying to increase public awareness of the distinctions between the two types. There's just so much in this article I'd like to bring up, but instead I encourage you to just read the article, which I would describe as essential reading for anyone interested in diabetes. I love that the author addresses the issue of stigma directed at Type 2 diabetics and the related fact that Type 1 diabetics and their families feel an urgent need to distinguish themselves from people with Type 2. He also uncovers a little of the rather ugly pent-up resentment that Type 1s direct at Type 2s once you scratch the surface a little. Not to mention the fact that most Type 2s seem oblivious to this tension. Wow. Read this!