Posted by Sue Huson on October 13, 1997 at 23:01:55:
October 23, 1996, a group of us sat in Al Gordon's kitchen. Al wasn't there. He was downtown Toronto handing out encapsulated pig islet information to Jim Mulvihill, Terry Jackson, John Ratzenburger, Robert Johnson, and many others whose stated goal in life is a cure for diabetes. Al's wife, Marilyn, had served us a wonderful supper even though she had never met any of us before. We had all traveled from out of town and Al had offered us supper even though he wasn't going to be home. (Being married to Al, you probably have to be flexible!)
Supper conversation, of course, centered around the lack of research dollars available to scientists involved in this important work and our desire to have diabetes cured as quickly as possible. We were all in Toronto for the JDF Research Symposium, hoping to persuade those with funding power to take this research seriously. As we prepared to head downtown to join up with Al, and attend the symposium, the most gorgeous rainbow I have ever seen filled the sky outside the Gordon's kitchen window. To me, it was a beautiful symbol of promise. As the rainbow of long ago promised no more world-wide destruction by flood, I saw this rainbow as a promise of life, rather than the world-wide destruction of life that is occurring because of diabetes.
It is now almost a year later. Many times, as things have looked bleak and as funding has not moved forward in this area as quickly as we would like to have seen it move, I have thought of that rainbow and renewed my hope.
Today we have celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada. I have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for each one of you who, although you accept diabetes as part of your lives for now, refuse to accept it as a permanent part of your or your child's life. I am thankful for every letter that's been written, every petition that has been signed and every person that has been told about the need to push forward on this promising research. I am thankful for the researchers who continue, despite the lack of financial backing, to work towards ending this disease forever. And yes, I'm thankful to still have health to fight in whatever way I can to promote islet research funding. Having read Deanna's article today, I'm reminded as to why I'm fighting. The complications are real, they are life-shattering, and they need to be stopped.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends, wherever you live and keep your eyes on that rainbow!