SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Diabetes Research

Honourable senators, type 1 diabetes, or T1D, hits very close to home for me. My husband, Carsten, lives with the condition, and I’ve seen first-hand its impacts on his day-to-day life as well as the advances that have been made in management and treatment over the past.

Type 1 diabetes is no longer known as juvenile diabetes. Carsten developed type 1 diabetes at 66 years of age.

Research into type 1 diabetes has had huge impacts. In the last half-century, 25 years have been added to the lifespan of a person receiving the latest care. Even so, we can’t afford to be complacent. I just attended a luncheon with some of our colleagues in the Senate, co-hosted by Research Canada and Diabetes Canada. Type 1 diabetes is currently on the rise in Canada. Cases are climbing by 4.3% every year, outpacing population growth. Complications, including ketoacidosis, hypoglycemia, kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, present a costly burden on our health care system. Not to mention, it is a harrowing ordeal for patients and their families.

Even with the progress that has been made, life expectancy for a T1D patient is 10 years less than the general population. For those of us who know and love people with this condition, that’s a terrifying statistic.

That’s why I’ve joined the — type 1 — All-party Diabetes Caucus, and why I’m joining the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or JDRF, in calling for increased investment in scientific research. As the largest charitable funder of this cause, JDRF has been part of nearly every scientific breakthrough in T1D research worldwide since 1974. The goals they’re working toward range from less intrusive diabetes management options to a potential cure.

Through the All-party Diabetes Caucus, I’ve had the opportunity to learn of JDRF’s contributions to groundbreaking research. I’ve been stunned by the progress that’s already been made and by the advances we could see in the near future.

A century ago, Canadian scientists won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin. Now Canada can help bring about a future where diabetes patients don’t need to inject themselves.

I’m calling upon the government to recognize the promising results and limitless potential of diabetes research, and to also recognize the contributions of 300,000 Canadians who live with T1D, who have raised families, built businesses and served their communities — and who could have achieved even more if unburdened from this illness. By investing in a cure for type 1 diabetes, you’re investing in them.

Thank you.