Walk for a Cure

Its cause is unknown, it’s not preventable, and it affects approximately three million people in the U.S. It’s called type 1 diabetes (T1D), and it’s an autoimmune disease that destroys the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin, a hormone that removes excess glucose from the blood.

To better understand and temper the impact of T1D, much research and education is needed. A major mover and shaker on that front is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which is headquartered in New York City but has chapters and councils throughout the United States, including one on the Central Coast.

Formed in 2009, the JDRF’s Central Coast Council was developed to provide support to the approximately 14,000 folks afflicted with T1D in our area. To that end, the council holds fundraisers yearly, the largest being a Walk to Cure Diabetes. The goal is to raise $142,096 — $67,901 had been amassed as of press time — from the October 11 event, which will go toward the national objective of $85 million for the JDRF, which allots $568 million in scientific research around the globe.

The event typically draws a crowd of more than 1,000 walkers from around the county, and those numbers are expected again this year. In addition to gathering for a good cause, there will be entertainment — KEYT’s John Palminteri will serve as emcee, and fitness guru Jenny Schatzle will preside over the event as grand marshal.

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The three-mile walk takes place Saturday, October 11, at 9 a.m. (check in) and 10 a.m. (walk), at Leadbetter Beach. For more information, see la.jdrf.org/events/walk.