Type 1 diabetes is a chronic, life threatening condition which has a life-long impact on those diagnosed with it and their families. It is an autoimmune condition that develops when a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

There is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes and it lasts for a lifetime. It normally strikes children and stays with them for the rest of their lives. People with the condition rely on multiple insulin injections or pump infusions every day just to stay alive – but it doesn’t cure their condition.

Type 1 diabetes affects about 350,000 people in the UK, 25,000 of them children. Incidence of type 1 is increasing by about 4% each year, particularly in children under five. Recently published research has shown that cases of type 1 diabetes in under 15s could be as much as 70% higher in 2020 than in 2005. There has never been a greater need to find the cure.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the world’s leading charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research, is at heart of driving forward the best and most promising research in the world.

World Diabetes Day is fast approaching. JDRF are running a series of activities to help increase awareness of type 1 diabetes.

To get involved visit www.JDRFaware.com where you can:

1) Leave a message for Gordon – JDRF is collecting messages for Gordon Brown to ask
for increased Government type 1 research funding. Leave your message on
www.JDRFaware.com and JDRF will deliver these messages to Downing Street in a rather memorable way!

2) Go Blue for World Diabetes Day – find the tools to turn your Facebook and MySpace profiles blue in support of World Diabetes Day (14th November 2009)

3) The World’s Longest Viral – get involved with an ongoing viral animation that anyone can add to, to highlight the life long nature of type 1 diabetes

4) Big Blue Fundraising Ideas – download JDRF’s free fundraising kit and support the search for the cure on World Diabetes Day.”