Published by The Oakland Press on September 26, 2013.

By VANESSA KLEINO, Special to The Oakland Press

Type 1 diabetes, also known as T1D, is now one of the major health concerns in America, with about 80 people per day diagnosed with the disease, half of them children.

The prevalence of T1D in Americans under the age of 20 has skyrocketed, jumping by 23 percent in just eight years.

The toll that the constant insulin injections or pumps takes on patients goes generally unnoticed to the public. Breakthrough T1D invites citizens to become more aware of this illness and spread the word through the upcoming Southeast Michigan and Ann Arbor “Walk to Cure Diabetes.”

“I’ve found my experience rewarding. The response has been unbelievable. Coworkers I’ve never talked to before stop me in the halls and ask how they can get involved,” Normandin said.

T1D is a disorder in which the body’s immune system suddenly and severely attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells. If the amount of carbohydrates is not carefully counted in every ounce of food, it could lead to life-altering effects such as kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage and non-traumatic amputations. The overall cause is not completely understood, but biological and environmental factors are suspected. Contrary to popular belief, a certain lifestyle or diet is not to blame. There is no method of prevention for T1D.

When Terry Conley, a Troy resident and a key member of Grant Thornton LLP audit firm, received the news that his 12-year-old daughter, Leigh, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes he was shocked. It was not until several years later that Terry came to terms with this conclusion and finally saw how strong of a hold it had over his daughter’s life through an essay written on how she wished she could be “normal.”

West Bloomfield resident, Carolyn Normandin walked into the doctor’s office excepting a diagnosis of a common cold or flu. Instead, she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Four years later, she was told this was a misdiagnosis and was then told she suffered from T1D.

Both Conley and Normandin have since found strength in themselves and through the mission of the Breakthrough T1D organization and the Breakthrough T1D Walk to Cure Diabetes. These walks not only raise awareness but also the majority of the funds go to research on curing, treating and/or preventing the disorder.

“I’ve found my experience rewarding. The response has been unbelievable. Coworkers I’ve never talked to before stop me in the halls and ask how they can get involved,” Normandin said.

Breakthrough T1D is the leading global organization focused on T1D research and tops the Forbes list under the nonprofit organizations. With more than 900,000 people participating in more than 200 cities worldwide each year, this organization’s walks alone have raised more than $1 billion.

Supported by passionate, driven volunteers with connections to this disease through family and friends, Breakthrough T1D is now the largest charity-based funder of T1D research. Their mission is to improve the life of those living with this disorder, not only by better treatment, but also curing and preventing T1D.

The Breakthrough T1D Walks will take place in Warren, Sunday, Sept. 29, at the GM Tech Center in Metro Detroit and at the Hudson Mills Metropark near Ann Arbor.

The Walks will include food, entertainment, face painting, balloon making and other attractions special to the event. Participants will enjoy a 1.5 mile stroll at the GM Tech Center and a 5K stretch through Hudson Mills Metropark.

Walkers can register at walk.jdrf.org with no registration fee, although pledges are encouraged to be raised in support of research for T1D. Participants raising $100 will receive a Breakthrough T1D Walk T-shirt at the event. Those raising $200 or more qualify for larger prizes such as electronics, toys, and housewares.

Registration opens at 8:30 in the morning, and the Walks will begin at 9:30, rain or shine. An estimated 7,500 Southeast Michiganders will walk and raise $1.8 million to help fund research for treatment, prevention, and a cure for T1D and the complications it causes. “My treatment has changed dramatically. All of it is because of the Breakthrough T1D,” says Normandin. “This is a curable disease.”