Jim Young – Volunteer with South East Ontario Region, Canadian Diabetes Association. Jim has been an active and invaluable volunteer with the Association since 2002! He has assisted with many fund raising events, community health displays and symposiums just to name a few. Jim is also the Regional Delegate for the SEOR. All this while managing his diabetes and going to school full-time as he moved ahead after retiring from a lengthy career in the armed forces! Jim has also brought his young daughter Cassidy along with him and she is now volunteering along side her father whenever possible.
Jim Young is a true Champion!

Mel Viner – Diabetes Champion! A volunteer with the South East Ontario Region of the Canadian Diabetes Association for over 18 years, Mel has raised over $180,000 for diabetes research and education. Since 2000, Mel has raised an average of $12,000 a year with the Association’s door-to-door campaign for which he is currently the Co-Chair. Mel’s significant accomplishments enable the Canadian Diabetes Association to achieve its mission and vision.

Maureen Dowling is a Diabetes Champion! For over 51 years Maureen has been living with type 1 diabetes. She has seen many changes and firmly believes that the information that she has received from health care professionals has enabled her to understand and manager her own diabetes. Inspired by effective diabetes management tools and the information she has received, Maureen volunteers for the South East Ontario Region of the Canadian Diabetes Association as a Learning Series Presenter, Display Volunteer and presenter of the animated Children’s program, the Cellberton’s. She actively participates in our annual residential campaign and not only promotes the Association but actively assists with the recruitment of new volunteers and supporters.

Our son Matthew was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in October 2008. He is our hero and Diabetes Champion because he always has a smile on his face and never complains. Through all the blood testing, blood work, insultin shots and doctors appointments, he just takes it in stride. Matthew also has mild autism and is the most amazing son. We are blessed to have him in our lives.

Shelly and Margie are true Diabetes Champions. They are diabetes consultants who work with the on reserve population of New Brunswick. Both of them have been dedicated and passionate about their work, bringing innovative methods of teaching to the People, engaging the communities and making huge strides in diabetes prevention and care. They work tirelessly with boundless enthusiasm and great expertise with a genuine desire to create a nation without diabetes. They have inspired me in my own diabetes prevention and education work with the off reserve Aboriginal population of New Brunswick by being supportive and sharing their experience. Shelly and Margie, you are 2 of the best, thank you for being Diabetes Champions, Hugs from Donna

I am a Diabetes Champion because I have lived with type two diabetes for 19 years. and I do lead a healthy life style and try to maintain my diabetes and I have lost a very special person to type 2 diabetes.

I was diagnosed having diabetes back in 1988 through a routine check up. Having none of the symptoms, I was quite surprised. The prescription back then was to loose weight and to take lessons from a nurse and a dietitian at the hospital. In the classes, I learned about how to control the disease with diet, exercise and medicine. In spite of my efforts, my diabetes control was still erratic and mostly on the bad side of the target line. Experiencing the difficulties first hand, I wanted to learn more about the disease and to help others to learn as well. When the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) opened its branch in Nanaimo, I began to attend events and started to volunteer with them. Most of my volunteering involved selling raffle tickets in malls around the city. Since I moved to Richmond in 2005, I joined the CDA as a volunteer in their Chinese Info Line program. It’s a phone-in program for Chinese speaking people all over North America wanting to know about diabetes. We provide them with verbal and written information in Chinese about diabetes. We also listen carefully about how their diabetes is affecting their lives and refer them to different agencies for additional assistance. I also participated in other CDA activities, such as data entry, health fair display, presentation in the community, Diabetes Expos, etc. With knowledge gained from and participation with the CDA, I was able to maintain my control over a 21-year span. I am sure other people can as well. The CDA is an excellent place to find such knowledge.

I am a diabetes champion because I raised almost $8,000 for the Diabetes Summer Surge. On the occasion of my 50th birthday, I decided to do an Ironman triathlon and raise money for the Canadian Diabetes Association. I called my project Rob’s 50 IM for DM (Ironman for Diabetes Mellitus). I was inspired to raise money by my son Patrick who has type 1 diabetes and has raised $1,600 for diabetes through his participation in the Sudbury Rocks Half Marathon. I completed the Madison, Wisconsin Ironman in September 2009.

I know some one who is a Diabetic Champion – My cousin Mary Evelyn Janes (Nee Cringan) who has been taking insulin for almost 72 years, as she was diagnosed as diabetic at the age of 8 and half and now is a bright, lovely eighty – year – old. Though she is a “Brittle diabetic, as her blood sugar goes up and down which causes trouble, and though Glaucoma and Cataracts were diagnosed when she was 16, she completed her senior matriculation at St. Clement’s School and completed a year at the University of Toronto with good marks, graduated from teachers’ college and taught kindergarten for three years until she married. She gave birth naturally to two healthy sons and now has eight bright grandchildren, those of whom are now at university. Mary is an excellent bridge-player, takes later life learning courses at the University of Toronto and had a career and did voluntier work for many years. I believe she may be the oldest juvenile diabetic in Canada and we love her.

Daniel Hurtubise is a Diabetes Champion!

Daniel, his 2 kids and Robert Carrier planned to cycle from West Coast to East Coast of Canada, in the summer of 2008. The purpose was raising awareness and money for JDRF to find a cure for type 1 diabetes .

We met the Team here in Salmon Arm, BC . Our local East Side Mario’s restaurant hosted the Team. At the end of June 2008, a tragic accident in Manitoba killed both Daniel ( 50 ) and his cycling friend Robert ( 46 ). Daniel lived with type 1 diabetes since age 15 .

Two families lost their Husband and Dad.  Daniel’s words were: “Passion can never die” ; the Hurtubise family is carrying on with raising funds for the cure .

Our Heroes, Our Champions, including the family members.