JDRF's Promise co-chairs all have a personal connection to type 1 diabetes. As you're about to read, Tom Glass's son Tommy has the disease and Lorraine Stiehl is advocating on behalf of her husband Chris. JDRF is also thrilled to welcome the Promise Campaign's first-ever International Celebrity Advocate Co-Chair, Elliott Yamin. Elliott's voice is heard every day on IPods, Top 20 Countdowns, and during his concerts—and the world loves it. Now, he'll add his voice to our plea to decision-makers in Washington, D.C.: to help fund research to cure him and everyone else who suffers from diabetes.
Tom Glass
It's time to start what promises to be the biggest and most effective campaign JDRF Grassroots Advocacy has ever coordinated.
Eight years ago, my son Tommy and I attended our first Promise meeting. We were still rather new to diabetes then—only two years into it—and with him only 8 years old, we were still grappling with the day-to-day issues. Imagine the surge of hope and strength we felt when we realized, in that room with our U.S. Senator, that we held the power to make a change and push closer to a cure with our own hands and words. Since then, Tommy and I have continued our lobbying efforts on behalf of JDRF. Chairing Promise 2007 and helping you all to achieve our biggest success to date is surely a pinnacle for us. Some day we'll all look back on these meetings and know: our voices called our nation to action and led us to a cure.
Lorraine Stiehl
For me, diabetes is something I married into, but the passion I feel for a cure for my husband, Chris, is matched with the passion anyone feels for a loved one fighting type 1. When my husband was diagnosed as a child nearly 50 years ago, none of our current diabetes management tools were in existence. Thanks to research sponsored by both the National Institutes of Health and JDRF, my husband is doing well – yet we are constantly fearful of the complications that come with long-term diabetes. For us, the battle of an adult with diabetes is all too real. We are dedicated and motivated to let Washington know our story and to help you tell yours as well.
Check back soon to read Elliott Yamin's blog entry about his Promise meeting.