Author: amcewen

Dear Friends, 

As I write this, my heart is overflowing with gratitude.  Today, I am retiring from JDRF and it has been an incredible honour and privilege to be the President and CEO for over 10 years. I feel fortunate to have met so many fantastic people in the type 1 diabetes community – your passion, commitment and perseverance each and every day is inspiring. Thank you! 

I have many great memories, and one that stands out is from a Kids for a Cure event in Ottawa. I remember that we gave the kids a JDRF hockey jersey to wear in their meetings. When I put mine on, it made me feel so proud.  I was proud to be part of a winning team – a team that digs deep each and every day to make lives better for everyone in the T1D family.  And of course, seeing all of these incredible youth champions tell their stories to MPs and Senators is the BEST!   

Another (humbling) highlight occurred in my first few months. We had secured an interview on a national TV morning show during Diabetes Awareness month, and we were going to discuss the many advances that have been made.   

We had all sorts of items – needles that were massive, to the latest pumps and monitors. For me, it was all very new and I had done lots of preparation to do my best to explain it. I was joined by a young boy named Anwar – he was one of the nicest and cutest kids I had ever met. After the interview, a good friend of mine who worked at the TV station came up to me and said I had done fine. Then he paused, looked me in the eye, and said, but Anwar stole the show!  It showed me how important and impactful it is to share your personal stories to bring this relentless condition to life and that our ability to work as a team makes us unstoppable. 

I often used the word “momentum” with our team. I believe it is important to build and keep momentum as an organization and this can happen in many ways – research breakthroughs, fundraising success, wins with governments. 

As a team of staff and volunteers, our momentum is like a snowball that starts rolling down a hill, getting faster and bigger. During my tenure, while several areas have tremendous momentum, I am so excited by the progress we have seen in research.  I remember when the first cell therapy trial was announced by ViaCyte several years ago, and now, there are so many trials and companies involved, and of course, amazing Canadian researchers continue to make global contributions in this area. With a disease modifying therapy, like TZield that can delay the onset of T1D, approved by the FDA, I am extremely encouraged that the next generation of treatments, that will move beyond insulin and give people freedom from T1D are incredibly close.   

I need to thank many wonderful people for making these 10 years the most rewarding and fulfilling part of my career. Thank you to the amazing JDRF team, in Canada and globally, for leaning in every day to make a difference; to our volunteers that multiply our efforts and are our secret weapon; to our Board for their leadership, guidance and trust. Our donors are incredible, fueling the best research in Canada and around the world.  To our partners, thank you for being so collaborative since making lives better and finding cures requires all of us to work in harmony. There is no doubt that together, we are stronger and more impactful! 

As I depart, I want to wish Jessica Diniz, tremendous success as the baton is officially passed to her. You will be a terrific leader! 

So let me conclude where I began.  Thank YOU for allowing me to be part of this incredible JDRF team and T1D community. You inspire me, and I know we are well on the way to turning type one to type none. 

September 25, 2019

“Our story is the story of parents fighting for their kids.”
Jimmy Garfinkle

In 1971 and 1973, Krayna Golfman and Mitch Garfinkle’s lives changed dramatically when their sons, David and Jimmy, were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Along with other families living with the disease, they embarked on a lifelong mission to find a cure. Thus began the journey that led to the founding of JDRF Canada.

Twenty-three years later, T1D knocked at their door once again. This time, the Garfinkle’s nine-year-old grandson, Alex, learned he had the disease. The news was devastating, and they could not bear the thought of Alex going through life with this challenging health condition they knew only too well. History was repeating itself and the Garfinkle Family rallied to protect him from this relentless disease. This was the catalyst that energized the family and renewed their leadership as stalwart champions of JDRF.

Through the years, the unwavering commitment of The Garfinkle Family helped JDRF push the boundaries and make incredible progress. Among their significant contributions, Jimmy, David and business partner, Irving Granovsky, were the first to support JDRF’s In Our Lifetime campaign in Eastern Canada, with Jimmy serving as head of the campaign.

As the campaign draws to a close, the family is choosing once again to lead by example through a transformational gift that will cover the costs from September to December. In doing so, they will allow us to direct 100% of all gifts to JDRF’s mission. This extraordinary gesture undoubtedly builds on the Garfinkle Family’s legacy as a JDRF trailblazer devoted to creating a world without T1D.

Thank you for your tremendous generosity, Jimmy and family! We are so grateful for your lifetime contribution to JDRF.

Getting a restful night’s sleep is often an elusive goal for many. Yet for someone living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), it can be more worrisome than challenging given the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). In fact, a new research study reveals that hypoglycemia can also induce abnormal heart rhythms, which in some cases could lead to cardiac failure.

Dr. Simon J. Fisher, co-director of the Diabetes and Metabolism Center at the University of Utah, presented data on the link between hypoglycemia and heart failure at the American Diabetes Association’s conference held in June. He explained that individuals who experience hypoglycemia a number of times can develop cardiac arrhythmias, and that a subsequent episode of severe hypoglycemia could lead to sudden death.

Dr. Fisher’s findings also showed that using a beta blocker—an oral medicine to treat high blood pressure—helped to prevent death in T1D animal models. One of the symptoms of low blood sugar is a rapid heartbeat. The medication blocks the hormone adrenaline, which slows the nerve impulses in the heart, resulting in less quick heartbeats and improved blood flow. Although the beta blocker increases the risk for hypoglycemia by reducing low blood sugar awareness, it simultaneously protects against severe hypoglycemia-induced fatal cardiac arrhythmias.

While human trials have not commenced, Dr. Fisher recommends that healthcare professionals work with patients to adjust target glycemic goals accordingly in order to avoid potential fatal occurrences.

Dr. Fisher has been supported by JDRF since 2001 when he was a postdoctoral fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center. He was the recipient of several JDRF grants and currently mentors JDRF-funded investigators.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog.