Breakthrough T1D Blog

JDRF’s Mental Health and Diabetes Strategy – where we are now  May is Mental Health Awareness month, a national movement to raise awareness of the importance of mental health, and the structural gaps that exist in accessing treatment and support.  There is no physical health without mental health. JDRF has long recognized the need to […]

The BETTER project, a Canadian research initiative, gets a boost from renewed JDRF funding. Bringing together patient partners – people living, or with a child living, with type 1 diabetes (T1D) – researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers, this project aims to improve the lives of people living by T1D in Canada. Initially funded by the […]

National Volunteer Week takes place from April 14 – 20, 2024, as organizations across the country celebrate those who generously donate their time and talents to their community.  The National Volunteer Week theme for 2024 is Every Moment Matters! This theme highlights the importance of every volunteer and each contribution they make at a moment […]

I was living in Winnipeg; I’ve spent my whole life here. I was diagnosed at the age of 6, spring of 1974, it was the May long weekend. I was not terribly sick but was showing signs: eating a lot, urinating a lot, etc. My mom had a doctor’s appointment and she brought me with […]

We lived in the Niagara region. My brother who is one year older than me was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at age 4, and one year later, I turned four and I was also diagnosed. It was devastating for my parents to have both kids with T1D. And it was devastating to me […]

I’ve lived in Toronto my entire life. I’m currently 60 years old, I was diagnosed in 1970, 53 years ago. I remember getting up in the middle of the night, needing juice because I was so thirsty, I was going to the washroom all the time. I remember being diagnosed, going to the hospital for […]

Dr. James Shapiro is a British-Canadian surgeon best known for leading the clinical team that developed the Edmonton Protocol – an islet transplant procedure for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Dr. Shapiro is Professor of Surgery, Medicine, and Surgical Oncology at the University of Alberta and the Director of the Clinical Islet Transplant […]

Myrna Weiszner, one of the founders of the JDRF Winnipeg chapter and her daughter Tammy, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) 47 years ago talk about how living with T1D has changed over the years, and their involvement with JDRF.  Do you remember what it was like when Tammy was diagnosed?  Myrna – It was […]

Wednesday, March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD asks us to imagine a world that knows gender equity. Globally, we are facing multiple crises that are putting immense pressure on communities, and so achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring women’s and girls’ rights across all aspects of life is the only […]

Living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is 24/7. Every day you must make decisions around meals, exercise, rest and more. It is the only condition that requires a daily manual replacement of the function of an organ, which is done through administration of insulin. An often-overlooked aspect of living with T1D is how this can […]

My parents were one of the original families that brought JDRF to Canada. I was 13 years old in 1971 when my brother David was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and I was diagnosed at 15 years of age. My parents felt there wasn’t enough going on at the time regarding T1D research. It […]

An often under looked aspect of living with a chronic condition like type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the stigma that can accompany it. Generally, diabetes stigma can be defined as negative perceptions, judgment, discrimination, or a prejudice against someone because of their diabetes. The majority of T1D stigma derives from a lack of understanding of […]