Author: amcewen

Hi, I’m Joanna! Born and raised in Ottawa, I now call Toronto my home. I’m passionate about health and fitness, PR/communications, all things food, travel and family!

When were you diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and can you share a little about what that was like?

On March 16, 1998, I vividly remember looking down at my bruised arms where two IVs dripped into my veins to help bring my blood glucose levels back into a normal range. Nearby machines beeped relentlessly. Doctors and nurses gathered around. I had been rushed to the hospital ER from a family vacation, where I was immediately diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). I was also told we were lucky we came when we did. It was a moment that will be ingrained in my memory forever.

Over the next week, the hospital became my home—as well as my family’s—where we learned how to manage my newly diagnosed condition. Those early days laid the foundation for my journey with T1D, teaching me that while diabetes is a part of me, it doesn’t define me.

How has fitness impacted your daily management?

Being active and incorporating fitness into my life has been a game-changer for my overall T1D management. The routine of exercise—the planning, the commitment, the follow-through—it all strengthens my resolve to manage my T1D with intention. With every movement, I’m reinforcing habits that keep me on track: monitoring my blood levels, adjusting insulin, being mindful of my eating.

But it’s more than that. It’s about the mornings I wake up feeling unstoppable and the evenings I go to bed knowing I’ve done something good for myself. This positive feeling spills over into other areas of my life, making me a more focused, more present individual. In a way, managing T1D with the help of fitness is one of the best ways to take care of myself.

Can you share what has impacted your daily management the most?

Honestly, my daily management got a lot brighter when I started using a continuous glucose monitor. I can see what’s happening with my blood glucose levels in real time, and it means I can live my life with a lot less stress about my diabetes. I’m forever grateful for the advancements in diabetes technology—it’s come a long way since my diagnosis.

(Learn more about JDRF’s advocacy program to ensure universal access to diabetes devices like advanced glucose monitors here: https://www.breakthrought1d.ca/advocacy/access-for-all/)

Why is supporting the T1D community so important to you?

There’s something profoundly human about being part of the T1D community. It’s a place of courage, resilience, and an unspoken understanding that we’re all in this together. Living with T1D can be isolating, as I quickly learned after my diagnosis. As soon as I found a support system, my life, and my outlook living with T1D completely changed. It’s a community of hearts and hands ready to catch you, lift you, and celebrate with you. That’s what being part of the T1D tribe is all about and I want to give back to this incredible community as much as I can.

Anything else you would like to share with the T1D community?

At the end of the day, T1D has been my greatest teacher in life. Living with this chronic condition for 26 years has taught me to listen to my body better than ever before, it’s encouraged me to be patient—especially on the tough days, and it’s proven that I’m strong and can conquer anything, even when people have doubted me. I’ve completed several triathlons and cycling races, have traveled solo overseas numerous times and have lived and worked abroad. Accomplishing these goals, and many more, has proven that nothing’s off limits.

My advice to those living with T1D: Your T1D has shaped your life, and, it has inevitably developed your resilience, sense of independence and confidence along the way. Don’t let it prevent you from living life on your terms. With the right attitude, you can conquer anything you put your mind to.

You can follow Joanna on her Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/joannamariefit/

Learn more about JDRF’s support services to connect the T1D community: https://www.breakthrought1d.ca/support

People who live with diabetes are at an increased risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and diabetes distress (the feelings of stress, guilt and being overwhelmed that can result from diabetes management). There are diverse mental health needs across the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community in Canada, and a common theme among members is that greater mental health supports are needed. This need varies widely, from dealing with feelings of being overwhelmed when newly diagnosed, to battling the loneliness and isolation that may come from living with a chronic condition for years, and that it can feel like no one understands.

As part of JDRF Canada’s Mental Health Strategy for T1D launched in 2021 and a key fundraising pillar of the $100M Campaign to Accelerate, in May 2023 we opened the JDRF Canada Mental Health and T1D Community Grants Program as a new funding opportunity. This incubator initiative is designed to provide seed funding to organizations ready to transform innovative ideas into successful projects to support the mental health and wellness of the T1D community.

We received many excellent applications and are grateful to our diverse review panel made up of Canadians with lived and/or professional experience of T1D who helped decide which projects were to be funded. These projects, awarded up to $20,000 each will take place over an 18-month period. Each is unique, offering creative and interactive ways to improve mental wellness among the T1D community.

Partnerships are a crucial component of JDRF Canada’s Mental Health Strategy, and we are proud to be partnering with a variety of organizations across Canada to support these new community projects, and expand the capacity and diversity of supports for mental health and well-being in the T1D community.

“Mental wellness is central to living well with T1D, but we hear from our community time and time again that there is just not enough support for mental health and diabetes within or outside of the health care system,” said Jessica Diniz, President & CEO of JDRF Canada. “Each of these important new projects is a shining example of much-needed support for the T1D community, and we are excited to be enabling them as part of JDRF Canada’s goal to connect more people with the supports they need for improved mental health and wellness. By working as partners with other like-minded organizations, we can reduce duplication and achieve more for the T1D community.”

Bridging the Gap: Mental Health Integration into 2024’s Slipstream Programming​

Connected in Motion (ON)​

An established and well-respected diabetes camp for adults will add mental health programming to their traditional weekend offerings of outdoor pursuits and workshops on adult-life with T1D held in different locations across Canada. The project will create expert-led workshops as well as tools and resources for participants. Workshops and resources will cover a range of topics relevant to adults living with T1D, including body image, aging, and the impacts of the condition on relationships and family dynamics.

CuriosiT1D: Getting Curious about Diabetes & Mental Health

Edmonton Diabetes & High Risk Foot Clinic partnered with Pineapple Therapy (AB)​

This project will develop an 8-week psychoeducation course to teach people living with T1D about the intersection between their condition and their mental well-being. The self-paced course is based on the practices of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Participants will build skills to increase resilience, reduce anxiety, and better manage their condition with self-compassion.

OPEN – D: Onboarding Platform for the Education of New patients with Diabetes

McGill University partnered with GoldBug Interactive (QC)​

Creation of a bilingual (French/English) webcomic for newly diagnosed children designed to be an engaging resource for kids aged 7-12 adjusting to life with T1D. The webcomic will cover topics including managing the routines of diabetes care, talking about your diabetes with classmates, and will also demonstrate healthy coping skills for managing the ‘big feelings’ that come with T1D.

« Bien dans ma tête et mon diabète »​

Université de Montréal (QC)​

This project will produce a collection of short format French videos for Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok that combat stigma around mental health and T1D while also sharing reliable information and resources for those managing their own health. Videos will be fact-checked by experts (mental health professionals, doctors, and people living with T1D) to prevent misinformation or biases often found in similar formats.

Enhancing Resiliency for Families Living with T1D through Empowering Mental Health Program​

Langs Community Health Centre (ON)​

A community health hub will be developed to include a variety of in-person programming to address the psychosocial needs of a recent influx of people with T1D in their care​. The project will expand their Diabetes Education Program to cover mental health and well-being supports through educational workshops, peer support, and facilitated group activities to foster self-efficacy for tweens through adults.

If you are interested in learning how to support these projects, or JDRF Canada’s Mental Health Strategy, please contact Jen Bavli at jbavli@jdrf.ca.

For questions about the Mental Health and T1D Community Grants Program, please contact grants@jdrf.ca.

Learn more about our Mental Health Strategy and mental health research projects.

If 2022 was a year of hope, 2023 was one of turning that hope into progress. And thanks to our incredible community of donors, volunteers, and supporters – we saw significant progress across all areas of type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and developed an even closer relationship with the amazing T1D community.   

From the generosity of our donors, JDRF Canada had another transformative year– dedicating substantive funding to research, strengthening our partnerships in academia, continuing to support newly diagnosed families, while never losing focus on our goal of finding cures for T1D while improving the lives of people affected by the disease today. 

Highlights from the past year included: 

• Launching our Mental Health + Diabetes Training Course and Directory in collaboration with Diabetes Canada  
• Building capacity for the future of T1D research in Canada through training the next generation of researchers and clinicians 
• Improved device coverage in New Brunswick, Manitoba and British Columbia through our Access For All advocacy program 
• Advocacy campaigns in Alberta and Nova Scotia for improved access to diabetes technologies like advanced glucose monitors and insulin pumps 
• Reaching thousands of Canadians through our Let’s Talk T1D Education Series, bringing experts into their homes to discuss topics important to them 
• Continued support to newly diagnosed families and adults through our Bag of Hope and No Limits Care Kit programs 
• Bringing our community together at our Walk, Ride, JDRF Golf Marathon and Cocktails for a Cure and Light the Way Soiree events 
• Continued progress with our $100 Million Campaign to Accelerate 
• The T1D Superhero Card campaignlaunched, a unique tool that allowed us to spotlight the T1D superheroes among us through National Diabetes Awareness Month 
• Welcoming our new Board Chair Helena Gottschling 
• Announcing the retirement of Dave Prowten, who provided a decade of leadership as CEO and President and the appointment of Jessica Diniz as his predecessorwho will ably take the reins and continue to steward JDRF Canada’s strategic vision with the care our community has come to expect  

T1D research highlights 

In Cell Replacement: 

• JDRF Canada and Stem Cell Network announced the second recipient of the J. Andrew McKee Fellowship in Type 1 Diabetes with a third fellowship opportunity launched 
• JDRF Centre of Excellence at UBC marks two years of innovation in type 1 diabetes cure research 
• Ontario life sciences startup, Allarta, receives award from JDRF International to advance its work in creating a functional cure for type 1 diabetes 
• New developments in islet cell therapies for type 1 diabetes 
• Exciting updates from Vertex stem cell-based therapy clinical trials 

In Disease-Modifying Therapies: 

• Teplizumab, which was approved by the FDA in the USA in late 2022 (under the name Tzield) was shown to also delay disease progression in youth aged 8-17 years old in stage 3 T1D. 
• Additional funding support towards Zucara, a once-daily drug that may help prevent hypoglycemic episodes in people with T1D 
• New once-daily insulin treatment a possibility 

In Treatments to Improve Lives: 

• The JDRF-CIHR Partnership to Defeat Diabetes announcement of 4 new grants in Precision Medicine, the goal of which is to get the right treatment to the right person at the right time. 
• Funding programs devoted to improving mental health care and outcomes for people with T1D, including the CIHR-JDRF Mental Health grants 

In Screening: 

• In collaboration with CIHR, JDRF announced the development of CanScreen, a new Canadian T1D screening consortium led by Dr. Diane Wherrett.  
• JDRF continues to help facilitate screening for relatives of those with T1D at Sick Kids Hospital via TrialNet 

In Clinical Trials: 

• A renewed focus on helping raise awareness of the importance of clinical trials for moving forward critical T1D research, through a social media campaign and new webpage 
• A new tool to make finding T1D clinical trials recruiting in Canada easier and simpler – due to launch early 2024. 

To read more about research updates, please visit www.breakthrought1d.ca/blog. 

2023 was truly a year of incredible progress and momentum both in type 1 diabetes research and at JDRF. As we head into 2024 and the 50^th anniversary of JDRF Canada, we reflect on how none of this would be possible without the support of our donors, volunteers and the incredible T1D community. Thank you! We truly believe that a world free from T1D is closer than ever. 

Dear Friends, 

As I write this, my heart is overflowing with gratitude.  Today, I am retiring from JDRF and it has been an incredible honour and privilege to be the President and CEO for over 10 years. I feel fortunate to have met so many fantastic people in the type 1 diabetes community – your passion, commitment and perseverance each and every day is inspiring. Thank you! 

I have many great memories, and one that stands out is from a Kids for a Cure event in Ottawa. I remember that we gave the kids a JDRF hockey jersey to wear in their meetings. When I put mine on, it made me feel so proud.  I was proud to be part of a winning team – a team that digs deep each and every day to make lives better for everyone in the T1D family.  And of course, seeing all of these incredible youth champions tell their stories to MPs and Senators is the BEST!   

Another (humbling) highlight occurred in my first few months. We had secured an interview on a national TV morning show during Diabetes Awareness month, and we were going to discuss the many advances that have been made.   

We had all sorts of items – needles that were massive, to the latest pumps and monitors. For me, it was all very new and I had done lots of preparation to do my best to explain it. I was joined by a young boy named Anwar – he was one of the nicest and cutest kids I had ever met. After the interview, a good friend of mine who worked at the TV station came up to me and said I had done fine. Then he paused, looked me in the eye, and said, but Anwar stole the show!  It showed me how important and impactful it is to share your personal stories to bring this relentless condition to life and that our ability to work as a team makes us unstoppable. 

I often used the word “momentum” with our team. I believe it is important to build and keep momentum as an organization and this can happen in many ways – research breakthroughs, fundraising success, wins with governments. 

As a team of staff and volunteers, our momentum is like a snowball that starts rolling down a hill, getting faster and bigger. During my tenure, while several areas have tremendous momentum, I am so excited by the progress we have seen in research.  I remember when the first cell therapy trial was announced by ViaCyte several years ago, and now, there are so many trials and companies involved, and of course, amazing Canadian researchers continue to make global contributions in this area. With a disease modifying therapy, like TZield that can delay the onset of T1D, approved by the FDA, I am extremely encouraged that the next generation of treatments, that will move beyond insulin and give people freedom from T1D are incredibly close.   

I need to thank many wonderful people for making these 10 years the most rewarding and fulfilling part of my career. Thank you to the amazing JDRF team, in Canada and globally, for leaning in every day to make a difference; to our volunteers that multiply our efforts and are our secret weapon; to our Board for their leadership, guidance and trust. Our donors are incredible, fueling the best research in Canada and around the world.  To our partners, thank you for being so collaborative since making lives better and finding cures requires all of us to work in harmony. There is no doubt that together, we are stronger and more impactful! 

As I depart, I want to wish Jessica Diniz, tremendous success as the baton is officially passed to her. You will be a terrific leader! 

So let me conclude where I began.  Thank YOU for allowing me to be part of this incredible JDRF team and T1D community. You inspire me, and I know we are well on the way to turning type one to type none. 

November 25, 2019

The death of beta cells results from an autoimmune attack that is characteristic of type 1 diabetes (T1D). This can lead to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), complications, and even unawareness among people with a severe form of the disease.

Sernova Corp., a regenerative medicine company based in London, ON., has shown in its JDRF-funded clinical trial that its cell replacement therapy, Cell Pouch^TM, can restore insulin production among people living with T1D.

An alternative to drugs, the Cell Pouch^TM system involves an implantable medical device that forms a highly vascularized environment in the body for the housing, function, and long-term survival of therapeutic cells, which release proteins or hormones to treat chronic diseases like T1D.

The detection of C-peptide, a biomarker of insulin production, in the bloodstream of the trial’s first patient is another important success in the field of beta cell replacement therapy – a strategy which aims to replace lost or damaged beta cells with insulin-producing beta cells in people with the disease. Supporting this area of research is also one of JDRF’s most critical undertakings, with an investment of more than $140 million to date.

JDRF is funding Sernova Corp.’s phase I/II clinical trial in participants with T1D and hypoglycemia unawareness based in Chicago, IL., USA. For more information on this study, please visit the clinical trials registry. For more details on recruitment and enrollment, please click here.

Beta cell replacement therapies aim to provide insulin on demand from cells implanted in the body and have the potential to eliminate insulin therapy and liberate people from the burdens of managing T1D for months or even years at a time. The shortage of donor beta cells and the need for strong immunosuppressive drugs, however, make beta cell transplantation an impractical solution for most people.

JDRF is heeding the call, advancing beta cell replacement technologies that can restore glucose control and deliver long-term insulin independence, without suppressing the body’s immune system and the ability to fight infections. Sernova Corp. is moving another step forward in the development of its Cell Pouch^TM and the technology will hopefully be approved in the coming years.