On 5/21/2017, both John and Melanie will be participating in the Beat the Bridge 8k race! The JRDF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) works tirelessly to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. We here at AAL support their work in addition to getting outside and moving! The 8k has a wheelchair division, by the way. If 8k isn't your thing or seems a little daunting, there's a 3 mile/1 mile fun walk/run to participate in OR you can even virtually attend online to help raise donations.
Please consider donating to the AAL Team: we're going for a goal of $500! Here's the link: American Artificial Limb Team Donations
Curious as to what the Beat the Bridge run is all about? Don't know what JRDF and T1D stand for? Here's an explanation from their website:
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ABOUT BEAT THE BRIDGE
The Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes is a fundraiser for JDRF — the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. The event consists of an 8K run and wheelchair race, a 3-mile walk, a 1-mile fun run, and the Diaper Derby for toddlers. The event is called Beat the Bridge because the course travels over Seattle’s University Bridge, which is raised during the race. Participants try to cross the bridge before it is raised. Those who don't beat the bridge must wait, with a live band and entertainment, for the bridge to come back down. After a few minutes, the bridge lowers and everyone can finish the race. Since the first Beat the Bridge race in 1983, Nordstrom has partnered with JDRF to raise funds to cure, prevent and better treat T1D. Beat the Bridge is part of the JDRF One Walk program, which holds annual charitable walks in more than 200 locations in 13 countries. JDRF One Walk has raised more than $1 billion for T1D research and we are proud to currently hold the number one position as the largest Walk in the country! We hope you will join us on May 21, 2017 for the 35th Annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes.
ABOUT JDRF & TYPE 1 DIABETES:
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic, life-threatening autoimmune disease that is currently unpreventable. It has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle and occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks insulin-producing beta cells within the pancreas and begins killing them off. Eventually the pancreas isn’t able to produce enough insulin to control the blood-sugar spikes that happen after eating. Today, people with T1D rely on insulin therapy to control their blood sugar levels. Insulin therapy is imperfect, however, and even with advances in care, most people still experience life-threatening blood-sugar highs and lows. 1.25 million Americans currently have type 1 diabetes (T1D), and the disease costs about $15 billion each year to treat. Finding ways to prevent this disease is central to saving lives and reducing healthcare costs. With T1D there are no days off, and there is no cure. That's why since 1970, JDRF has sponsored nearly $2 billion in scientific research in 17 countries. We won't stop until we create a world without T1D."