Countless Lives Have Been Saved with Insulin, but Many Still Die Today Due to Lack of Access or Funds to This Life-Saving Drug. You can help change this by donating $1 today.
The year was 1922. Having been diagnosed with type one diabetes (T1D) three years prior, it was somewhat of a miracle that fourteen-year-old Leonard Thompson was still alive. While he wasn’t dead, he was gravely ill. He had been slipping in and out of a coma at Toronto General Hospital. He was fortunate in that he had been receiving the best treatment available at the time, but it clearly wasn’t enough. His condition had steadily worsened. One of his doctors was Sir Frederick Grant Banting. He had been working on an experimental drug. Leonard was offered a risky proposition that just could save his life – if it didn’t kill him. The offer was to begin taking Banting’s experimental drug called insulin.
On January 11, 1922, Leonard became the first person to receive insulin. After injecting the insulin, Leonard suffered from an allergic reaction. His doctors scrambled back to the lab to work tirelessly to improve the formulation so Leonard would reap the benefits of insulin to lower his glucose levels without the allergic reaction. On January 23, Leonard received an injection of the new and improved insulin. His T1D symptoms began to disappear, and he regained his health.
Insulin was a breakthrough in diabetes care, offering hope where before there was none. Prior to the invention of insulin, a diagnosis of T1D was a death sentence. Countless lives have been saved through the invention of insulin. This innovation set the stage for further medical developments over the next century to help those living with T1D. For example, the original insulin formula used animal-derived extracts. This has since given way to biosynthetic human insulins. Insulin concentration and delivery tools are now standardized to ensure accurate dosing. Pumps, pens, inhalers, and automated insulin delivery systems give those living with T1D life-saving options regarding how they choose to administer their insulin.
We have not yet reached the pinnacle of insulin innovation. There is still more we can and must do. Clinical trials like the ones JDRF conducts and/or supports are a necessary component to enhancing treatments for T1D and for finding a cure. We must also ensure that everyone with T1D has access to life-saving insulin at an affordable price.
There are approximately more than 40 million people around the world who live with type 1 diabetes (T1D). A large proportion of people with T1D live in places with inadequate healthcare, which means there are likely hundreds of thousands of people (or more) facing death due to lack of insulin.
T1International is a nonprofit led by people with and impacted by T1D for people with T1D. They believe in a world where everyone with T1D – no matter where they live – has everything they need to survive and achieve their dreams.
Please give $1 or more today to help ensure everyone who needs life-saving insulin can get it.
Uniting The Power Of One 