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Making a Difference in Diabetes: dLife Annual Top 10 Awards

dLife Honors 10 People Who Are Making a
Difference in Diabetes


We would like to congratulate the groundbreaking work of
Dr. Camillo Ricordi & Tre Porfirio voted by the members of dLife as the
individuals who have made the biggest difference in diabetes in 2010!
Dr. Ricordi, of the Diabetes Research Institute, performed a revolutionary operation on Senior Airman Tre Porfiro to isolate the insulin-producing islet cells from his pancreas to be transplanted into his liver thus reversing the effects of diabetes. We are saddened at the passing of Tre and hoping that the science he enabled with Dr. Ricordi brings us one step closer to a cure.
We honor all nominees for their passion and dedication to the diabetes community.
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Michelle Page-Alswager
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Michelle Page-Alswager's son, Jesse, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three. Three weeks shy of living with diabetes for 10 years, Jesse died unexpectedly at age 13. Michelle honors his memory by raising awareness of this disease to prevent other families from facing the pain of losing a child and sibling. In addition to her advocacy Michelle is an active member of the JDRF, started Triabetes, the worlds largest triathlon club for people with diabetes and started Jessepalooza, a rock concert organized in her sons honor. She also rode in the Ride to Cure Diabetes in Tahoe this past October, along with hundreds of other riders across the country. Since its inception in 2007, Triabetes has offered support, training programs, and helpful tips to athletes who manage their diabetes while competing in triathlons. Through her awareness efforts, Michelle wants people to recognize that diabetes is a life long disease, which requires those affected to become self-managers and advocates.
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Dr. Marguerite de Clerck
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Dr. Marguerite de Clerck, a Belgian doctor and nun, is revered for her 55 years of missionary work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With 80 percent of the world's deaths from diabetes occurring in Third World countries, Dr. de Clerck refused to overlook such a preventable travesty and in 1973, began to specialize in diabetes diagnosis, care, and management in the most impoverish areas. Her efforts have been globally celebrated in her recent casting as a main character in Lifeblood, the sequel to the 2007 award-winning documentary film Life for a Child. This film follows de Clerck's mission to seek donations and financial support in the form of diabetes supplies, blood glucose measuring devices, insulin, syringes, and educational programs for this war torn region.
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Brandon Morrow
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Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Brandon Morrow has been living with type 1 diabetes since he was in high school. Brandon is best known for almost being the sixth man to pitch a no hitter this year in the Major Leagues. Brandon never lets diabetes get in the way of his game, and only takes off his pump when he is pitching. But as soon as he comes off the mound he checks his blood sugar levels. He accounts for his stamina as a professional baseball player by keeping a routine so he never has to worry about a low during games. He encourages others with type 1 diabetes to create a routine that they can stick with and hopes that by example he is a role model to others.
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Ron Raab
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Ron Raab has been living with type 1 diabetes since he was six years old and certainly knows first hand that diabetes supplies are not only costly but are a necessary to function and live a normal life. After learning that most diabetes clinics world wide throw out their excess or unused insulin and test strips, Raab decided to take charge by forming Insulin for Life. A non-profit organization that collects unused insulin and diabetes supplies, and distributes it to those who would otherwise not have access to these life-saving supplies. Raab's organization has helped thousands in need, including victims of Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti. It has even started a camp for children in Ecuador that not only offers supplies, but offers diabetes education as well. Through Insulin for Life, Raab hopes to help those most in need while spreading awareness of this growing epidemic on a global front.
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Cherise Shockley
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Cherise Shockley is an army wife and mother who was diagnosed with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). LADA is an often-misdiagnosed form of type 1 diabetes, sometimes called type 1.5, that doesn't develop until a person reaches adulthood. A LADA diagnosis is difficult to classify and the countless doctor visits leave many feeling confused, frustrated, and alone. Shockley shared this sentiment, but quickly channeled her frustration into motivation to begin a campaign to educate people on this lesser known, but just as serious and complex, form of the disease. She is a featured blogger on Diabetes Daily and continues to be an active member of the online community. Shockley has taken her diabetes voice to Twitter (twitter.com/diabetic_iz_me ) where she has almost 1,500 followers and created the Diabetes Social Media Advocacy (DSMA) chat with over 500 followers. The DSMA centers around a weekly discussion on topics such as living with diabetes, advocacy, food, and much more. Her diabetes advocacy in the online community is remarkable and Shockley has used her voice to not only create awareness of the disease, but also give other people with diabetes a sense of community, a channel through which to be heard, and a way to heal and cope.
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Crystal Lynn Bowersox
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Crystal Lynn Bowersox is a singer-songwriter who gained notoriety as the runner-up in the ninth season of Fox network's American Idol. She also has type 1 diabetes, which she revealed during the competition after having her blood sugars skyrocketed to 400 forcing her to skip a performance. Since then she has been taking control of her diabetes health and creating awareness of the disease. In addition to her singing career, Bowersox's latest role as an advocate has taken her to Washington, DC to lobby for those who are unable to pay for their diabetes related medical costs. She hopes to influence policy makers by sharing her story.
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Insulindependence
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Insulindependence strives to "revolutionize diabetes management" among youths with diabetes through challenging experiences that encourage them to set personal fitness goals and explore other individual capacities. Their first successful expedition led adolescents from around the world to the Andes Mountain in Peru; and from this so began iD and their mission to lead diabetes education expeditions for youths diagnosed with type 1. Many teens diagnosed with type 1 do not realize the value of a support network and by interacting with others like them, they build positive self esteem, improve their mental and physical health, and set goals outside of their comfort zone in order to live more actively.
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Noah the Diabetes Dude
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After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six, Noah began a campaign, "The Flamingo Flock," as a way to help raise money for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Noah receives nominations to "flock" (send a blue flamingo) to people living with diabetes, or to those making a difference and supporting the cause. He names each flamingo before sending them out and supporters can either view each flamingo's location on the flamingo tracker map or see pictures of the "flocked" with their flamingo. To date, Noah has "flocked" over 180 people including several important names such as Bret Michaels, Ellen Degeneres, and Emily Osment. While Noah may only be nine years old, he and his "flamingo flock" already made a name for themselves in the diabetes community by continuing to raise awareness nationally and by raising money for the ADA to help in their efforts to one day find a cure for type 1 Diabetes.
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Tre Porfirio & Dr. Camillo Ricordi
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After being severely injured by gunfire in Afghanistan, there seemed to be no hope for Tre Porfirio's badly damaged pancreas. Without his pancreas' ability to create insulin, Porfirio was destined for a life with diabetes. However, thanks to Dr. Camillo Ricordi and his team of surgeons at the University of Miami Medical School's Diabetes Research Institute, Porfirio was made into a medical hero. Porfirio entered a six-hour surgery under the guidance of Dr. Ricordi via the Internet, in a desperate attempt to isolate the insulin-producing islet cells from his pancreas to be transplanted into his liver. While Dr. Ricordi had developed the procedure in 1990 at the University of Miami, Porfirio's surgery was the first successful procedure on a victim of pancreas injury. Porfirio, with the tremendous efforts of Dr. Ricordi, was living proof of the promise of a cure for diabetes. Sadly he passed away in November while visiting friends in Missouri. He was 22 years old and is greatly missed by all who knew him.
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Angie Stone
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Angie Stone is an acclaimed R&B, neo-soul singer who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 10 years ago. She had no idea that her race and family history put her at such a high risk for type 2 and was shocked at how little others around her knew about diabetes. Two years ago, Angie joined the Fearless African Americans Connected and Empowered (F.A.C.E.) Diabetes campaign because she wanted African Americans to better understand how to control their disease. Using her celebrity and voice, she is working with diabetes educators and registered dietitians to shine a spotlight on her community.
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