LOCAL schoolboy, Sam Munday has just arrived back from the United States where he attended the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Children’s Congress in Washington D.C.
Sam was chosen as the Australian delegate to the international conference, along with children from Canada, Netherlands, Israel, Denmark, United Kingdom and two representatives from each state in the United States.
Diagnosed with T1D when he was only 11 years old, Sam is now 15 and passionate about supporting diabetes research. He said his dream is that one day there will be a cure for this disease that affects young people just like him.
The purpose of the conference was to lobby the US government for $150 million in research funds for the next three years, to help find a cure for T1D. Representatives were paired with a US buddy and they met with the congressman from that state to discuss what it is like living with T1D.
“It was empowering to be at such a significant event, where I felt I could make a difference,” Sam said.
“It was also great to be among a group where I didn’t feel different. We are all in the same boat, and all hoping a cure will be found.”
The information gathered from the conference will be taken to Congress later this year and Sam is hoping that the United States will support the cause and that the Australian Government will also fund further research.
Sam is fortunate that his entire family are very active and have always been health conscious and are a great support for him.
“Many people don’t realise that T1D is quite different from Type 2 Diabetes,” Sam’s mother Jacqui who works at SportUNE said.
“People group diabetes together as a general disease and blame lifestyle choices, but T1D is not about lifestyle,” she said.
“T1D is an auto-immune disease that kills the pancreas and therefore the body is not able to produce its own insulin. It is life-long and currently there is no cure.”
While exercise cannot reverse the damage to the cells in the pancreas, it is well documented that it plays a very important role in the successful management of T1D.
Regular exercise can improve the way the muscles respond to insulin and as a result it helps regulate the blood glucose level.
Long term benefits are increased insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin resistance, it also decreases the risk of diabetes-related complications, improves quality of life and reduces the symptoms of depression.
