Hi everybody! Hannah here. Today I’m blogging about a fundraiser I am doing in order to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

I am participating in this fundraiser in order to raise funds for the millions of people living with and affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D). I was diagnosed with T1D five years ago, on my twelfth birthday, so in addition to knowing many other people with T1D, I know the full extent of the impact T1D has on the lives of those with it. The money I raise will help JDRF fund critical research to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until no one has to fear developing the disease.

Type 1 diabetes is a life-threatening autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin—a hormone essential to the ability to get energy from food. Both children and adults can get T1D and drastically and suddenly have their lives changed forever. It cannot be prevented and there is no cure. For me, managing my diabetes involves multiple shots a day, testing my blood sugar with pricks, and monitoring everything I eat. It is very easy for T1D to get out of control, and the side effects of high or low blood sugars can be disastrous- amputations, neuropathy, eyesight problems, and skin problems, just to name a few. Eating paleo has helped me personally to better manage my blood sugars, but there are so many people out there who are unwilling to change their lifestyle and eating habits, even if it could make a drastic difference in overall health.

JDRF is the largest nongovernmental funder of T1D research and the only global organization with a strategic research plan to fight T1D and to help eliminate the looming threat of the complications of this life-altering disease. This science is complex and costly, and every dollar JDRF is able to direct toward research comes from donors like you.

Please support me and donate to my fundraising campaign. I am going to use a physical endurance challenge- running one hundred miles in ten days- in order to gain awareness for T1D and raise money for JDRF. Every step of the way I will be thinking of the potential that this campaign has to help with T1D research and, through PaleoPenguin, to increase awareness among diabetics of how lifestyle choices, such as eating paleo(!), can help. Your gift will make a difference for millions of people affected by this devastating, life-threatening disease. People like you can help make a positive difference in the world. You can go online and donate to my personal fundraising page. The address of this page is http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/100milesforacure and you can easily donate by clicking the donate button in the top right corner or bottom of the page. All donations are tax deductible. I am so excited for us to make a difference! Please donate to my campaign today and support me in running 100 miles for type one diabetes!

Thank-you so much for your support!