One hundred children with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes will make an emotional journey to Canberra on August 20, to meet Prime Minister John Howard and Parliamentarians, to ask for their support in finding a cure for the dangerous disease they live with every day.

The children are participants in Kids In The House, an inaugural event organized by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Aged between 3 and 17, the children represent each state of Australia. They will urge Parliamentarians to "Promise To Remember Me" when considering new policies and funding decisions for medical research. It is the first time children from across the country will mobilize in such magnitude to raise awareness of diabetes.

At meetings throughout the day, the children will provide Australia's political leaders with a personal account of their experiences of living with diabetes, highlighting the devastating, life altering impact of the disease and explaining in their own words why a cure is so critical.

The event is held in association with sponsors Medibank Private and Qantas. Qantas will fly the children to Canberra from all over Australia and the partnership with Medibank Private is a natural extension of Medibank Private's support of JDRF in Australia and diabetes research generally.

"All children deserve to lead a long and healthy life," said Sheila Royles, CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. "However, children with juvenile diabetes experience years of debilitating health problems from a disease that shortens their life by around 15 years."

"Most government policies and research focus on type 2 diabetes. But unlike type 2, type 1 diabetes can't be prevented, nor can it be managed by diet and other lifestyle choices.

"Through Kids In The House, we want to help our political leaders understand what a difficult disease juvenile diabetes is and, by the end of the day, we hope they will be committed to supporting policies and research to fight and eventually cure it," she said.

The group will be led by 10 year-old Cassie Garvan, who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes two years ago. Cassie will speak about how difficult it is living with diabetes, outlining the challenges she faces every day.

"Sometimes I get angry because I have diabetes, and I would like to help people understand how yukky it is to have it" said Cassie. "They need to know that insulin is not a cure. We need more research so kids like me can live a normal life."

The children will be accompanied on their journey by parents, siblings, friends and scientists, including special guest from Canada, Dr Jonathan Lakey. Dr Lakey is a world-leading expert in islet transplantation, research widely considered to be the most likely source of a cure for type 1 diabetes.
A feature of the day will be a display of 14,600 syringes on Parliament House Demonstration Lawn, which represent the number of injections taken by a person with type 1 diabetes over ten years.

The once-in-a-lifetime experience is a culmination of a 'grass roots' campaign in which the children and their families will have written to and visited their local members and senators, urging them to participate in the day and asking them to support the needs of people with diabetes. Kids In The House is strongly supported by the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group, a bi-partisan group of 30 MPs and Senators.

In type 1 diabetes - the most serious and complicated form of the disease - a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that enables people to get energy from food. To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must take multiple daily injections of insulin and test their blood glucose levels four or more times a day by pricking their fingers for blood.

While trying to balance insulin injections with the amount of food eaten (which raises blood glucose) and exercise taken (which lowers blood glucose) people with type 1 diabetes must constantly be prepared for potential hypoglycaemic (low blood glucose) and hyperglycaemic (high blood glucose) reactions, which can be life threatening. The devastating complications of diabetes include blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage and amputations.

While usually diagnosed in children, type 1 diabetes can also occur in adults. The disease affects more than 100,000 Australians, with incidence increasing each year by 3.2%. Every day another 2 people are diagnosed.

"In addition to the high emotional toll this disease exacts on sufferers and their families, the community suffers too," said Ms Royles. "Treating diabetes in Australia costs the community an estimated $5 billion a year. In contrast, only around $35 million is invested in research to eradicate the disease. JDRF believes the 100,000 Australians with type 1 diabetes deserve to live without fear of going blind, losing their kidneys or developing heart disease before they reach middle age. That will only happen if we increase our investment in medical research."

Kids In The House is generously supported by major sponsors Medibank Private and Qantas, with valued support provided by Roche Diagnostics, Novo Nordisk, Aventis Pharma, Eli Lilly, Rydges, Channel 7, AAP and Edelman PR.

JDRF, the world's leading nonprofit nongovernmental funder of diabetes research was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes - a disease which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life and carries the threat of devastating health complications. Since its inception, JDRF has provided more than US$600 million to diabetes research worldwide. JDRFs mission is constant - to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

For further information:

Karolyn Andrews, Media & PR Manager, JDRF
Ph. 02 9966 0400 (x203) or 0403 787 077 | email: kandrews@jdrf.org.au