Cycling for diabetes

By March Ren

What if people have a disease but no way to cure it?

Type1 diabetes is a form of diabetes mellitus in which not enough insulin is produced and results in high blood-sugar levels in the body. The affected number of people in the world range.

JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Founation) organized a Revolution Ride to Defeat Diabetes with Financiere Sun Life. The event is a high-energy stationary cycling event at Central Park Athletics on October 13. The ride raises money for type 1 diabetes.

This is the sixth time the ride has taken place in Windsor. Fifteen teams of five and more than 50 people attended and raised $13,600.

The JDRF organizer Nicole Cozad said their mission is to find a cure for the disease.

“The purpose is to raise funds for research, so all of the money here today that is raised is going out to our researchers,” said Cozad  “We also are really invested in better technologies for type 1 diabe-tes and we are also looking into preventing this disease. We have a long study of families and we try to track the progression of the disease, and we’re hoping to one day be able to prevent it, cure it.”

Because the causes of type 1diabetes still cannot be found or prevented, about 80,000 children develop the disease when they are very young every year.

The RDJF Revolution Ride selected 10-year-old  Brycen Renaud, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was two years old, to be their 2017 Ambassador in Windsor.

“One thing I always try to remember is that I have type1 diabetes, it does not have me,” said Renaud in his opening speech. “Living with type 1 diabetes isn’t always going to be easy. If I am too high (sugar level) I have to give myself insulin. After all, insulin is not a cure, just my lifeline.”

Renaud’s mother Karen Renaud said RDJF is a high impact event. She and her husband volunteered last year and they decided to be a part of the run this year.

“Seeing all those competitors there, seeing all those riders having such a great time, it’s really good to see,” said Karen. “They’re all doing the same thing, raising money in hope for a cure for type 1 diabetes.”

Cozad said she felt really good about the ride revolution event because she knows the JDRF event is fairly new so she was really excited.

“This is just a great opportunity for corporate teams to come out, to support, to learn a little bit about type 1 diabetes and really show the community that they’re supporting us. It’s really a great connection that just brings the community together,” said Cozad.

“It really fills my heart to see that people who aren’t affected by type 1 take the time to come out and to support us, that really important.”