When Barbara and Marvin Davis’ daughter Dana was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of seven, they established the Children’s Diabetes Foundation. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to researching childhood diabetes and to the provision of the best possible clinical and educational programs for children with type 1 diabetes. The Foundation’s mission is to raise funds to support programs at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes—where more than 7,600 children and adults with type 1 diabetes from across America and around the world currently receive care. Since its inception, they have raised over $110 million to support diabetes programs and research through various events.

Imagine a disease that occupies your thoughts all day long, without a break, and requires hundreds of life-threatening or life-saving decisions every day of your life. This is type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes requires constant management and the physical, emotional, and social stress that it can cause is ever-present in the life of a type 1 and their family. The Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center are fighting to improve patient lives every day by providing the best possible patient care, hosting support groups, educating the public, and doing research to prevent diabetes, reduce its complications, and eventually find a cure.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body’s defense system attacks the cells that produce insulin. As a result, the body cannot produce insulin on its own. Without a cure, those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes must monitor their blood sugar and take insulin to control their blood glucose levels. While these measures are certainly helpful for maintaining a steady blood sugar, they are not a perfect science. There are many variables that go into diabetes management, such as diet, exercise, hormones, stress levels, and countless others.

A large concern for diabetics is low blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include blurred vision, shaking, sweating, slurred speech, irritability, drowsiness, and acting incoherent or spacey. If the blood sugar is severely low, the person may become unconscious or have a seizure. These low blood sugars put a diabetic in immediate danger.

Type 1 diabetes means being connected to multiple devices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While they usually improve blood sugar levels, these medical supplies come at a huge expense for the patient or family. Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes. Each person who is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes will have the disease for the rest of his or her life, unless we can find a cure.

By 2045 it is predicted that over 783 million people will have diabetes.

Know the symptoms:

• Excessive Thirst
• Excessive Irritability
• Fatigue
• Increased Appetite
• Vision Changes
• Unconsciousness
• Frequent Urination
• Weight Loss

Who We Are: The Children’s Diabetes Foundation is the fundraising arm of the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, focusing on patient support, diabetes research, and public awareness. The Foundation was established by Barbara and Marvin Davis in 1977 and is dedicated to the support of research in diabetes and to provide the best possible clinical and educational programs for people with the disease. The Foundation’s mission is to raise funds to support the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, where thousands of patients receive the finest diabetes care available. Thanks to the generous funding provided to the Center, all patients are welcome, regardless of their financial means.

(303) 863-1200