Saturday Night For JDRF

They are working on a closed loop artificial pancreas, meaning blood sugar can be monitored and regulated without human intervention in much the way the pancreas does. This is complex and delicate work with a great payoff.

JDRF GalaSaturday night was the annual Juvenile Diabetes Gala–a fund raiser for diabetes research. I’ve been involved with JDRF for a long time and am convinced it’s a very worthy cause. I wish the money was just there and available for research without all the ‘tree shaking.’

The event was held at The Barns at Wesleyan Hills in Middletown. I’d never been there and didn’t know what to expect. I’m putting together some disconnected strings, but I think the facility is owned by a condo complex and run as a separate business on their behalf.

The main facility is a refurbished barn–a great venue! It’s at the same time rough hewn and elegant. We started in an adjacent large tent for a silent auction and moved into the barn for dinner. The place was at capacity with about 220 guests.

The three honorees were researchers from Yale’s School of Medicine. They are working on a closed loop artificial pancreas, meaning blood sugar can be monitored and regulated without human intervention in much the way the pancreas does. This is complex and delicate work with a great payoff.

One of the researchers sat at my table with his wife, parents and in-laws. This had to be an evening of great pride for them. When I got home I hit Google to try and find out a little more about him. He has a 17-page CV. I’m not sure I’d have that if I annotated each of my forecasts individually.

The night ended with a live auction and some pointed begging for additional funds, but not until a teen age girl with diabetes told her story. She cried. I cried. I’m not sure how anyone could have avoided being touched.

Financially the night seemed to be a success. The money will buy more research. I’m really convinced a real cure is near.

One thought on “Saturday Night For JDRF”

  1. I have been a Type 1 diabetic for three years now. I use an open loop system (a pump), and my greatest wish is that I can keep my diabetes from damaging my organs until the time arrives for a cure, or at least, a closed loop system. Thanks for all you do!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *