PURPOSE

The purpose of life is not to be happy,

It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate,

to have it make some difference that you have lived

and lived well. 

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

 

Founded in 2018, the Dylan Konakowitz Memorial Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization established to preserve the memory of Dylan Konakowitz by helping others.  Our goal is to educate the public and raise awareness of the seriousness of type 1 diabetes (T1D), but also to offer scholarships to the New London County community that knew and loved Dylan.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels. T1D develops when the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. The cause of this attack is still being researched, however scientists believe the cause may have genetic and environmental components.

There is nothing anyone can do to prevent T1D. Presently, there is no known cure.

  • Some 1.25 million Americans are living with T1D, including about 200,000 youth (less than 20 years old) and more than 1 million adults (20 years old and older).

  • 40,000 people are diagnosed each year in the U.S.

  • 5 million people in the U.S. are expected to have T1D by 2050, including nearly 600,000 youth.

  • Between 2001 and 2009, there was a 21 percent increase in the prevalence of T1D in people under age 20.

  • In the U.S., there are $14 billion in T1D-associated healthcare expenditures and lost income annually.

  • Less than one-third of people with T1D in the U.S. are consistently achieving target blood-glucose control levels.

 

Please visit http://www.jdrf.org/about/what-is-t1d/facts/ for more information. 

 

 

 

Content provided on this site is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or healthcare, safety, legal, or financial advice.

 

 

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