JDRF is the largest charitable funder and advocate of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) research in the world. Their aim is to raise enough money so that this disease and its complications will not only be treated effectively, but also prevented and even cured in the near future. Known as the silent pandemic, Diabetes Australia estimates that 280 Australians develop diabetes every day with 10% suffering from T1D (85% suffer from Type 2 Diabetes and 5% from gestational diabetes).

Each year, JDRF stages the ‘JDRF One Walk’, a month long challenge whereby participants walk 120,000 steps to support 120,000 Australians living with T1D to help raise research funds and the Insurance Advisernet (IA) Foundation is very happy to continue its support of this event. IA first became involved in 2016, donating $10,000 to ‘Hayley’s Heroes’, a fundraising team organised by IA Authorised Representative Simon Feldman of Sound Insurance Services in Melbourne.

Simon’s young daughter was diagnosed with T1D in 2014 when she was just 11 years old, and Hayley’s Heroes takes part in the JDRF One Walk every year to help raise money for research. This year (2018), Simon and his team, once again, participated in this event and was thrilled when the IA Foundation donated an additional $25,000 to Hayley’s Heroes, as part of their fund raising efforts.

Walking towards a world free of T1D!

JDRF continually strives to improve the lives of people suffering from T1D by funding national and international research with the express aim of eradicating this disease. In 2017, this organisation raised $11.7 million with $8.5 million raised via fundraising events, such as the JDRF One Walk.

JDRF Australia strongly promotes cross collaboration between disciplines, for example T1D, rheumatology, cancer, molecular biology, multiple sclerosis (MS), heart regeneration, reproductive biology and psychology. In fact, a 2018 project funded by JDRF found common genetic links between MS and T1D, an exciting finding since 25% of people suffering from T1D also have at least one other autoimmune disease.

It is hoped that this collaboration will benefit both suffers of T1D, as well as people  diagnosed with a range of other autoimmune diseases, eventually leading to positive outcomes for many more people than those with T1D.

The IA Foundation is a strong supporter of our community and takes great pleasure in continuing its support of this worthy cause. This year, we are delighted to donate $25,000 to Hayley’s Heroes, bringing the total amounted donated over the last 3 years to $50,000. We hope that our joint contribution will hasten a positive outcome for people suffering with this devastating disease.

To find out more about JDRF, sign up for the JDRF One Walk or to make a donation yourself, please visit their website: http://walk.jdrf.org.au