On November 14th, in recognition of World Diabetes Day, TOPP Foundation, a local type 1 diabetes (T1D) nonprofit, made a $10,000 donation to the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI). “We are proud that this donation of $10,000 to the DRI will go directly towards research aimed at curing type 1 diabetes. Due to the generosity of our donors and supporters, this is the fifth consecutive year we have donated to the DRI. Our total endowment to the DRI since 2019 is now $110,000!” announced Christine Gunsiorowski, TOPP Foundation Co-Founder & President.
Tom Karlya, Senior Vice President for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, stated, “It’s always exciting when those who have loved ones with T1D donate to the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. It is appreciated for both the funding of our cure focus work and, at the same time, serves as a reminder of the many communities throughout the country who believe in our work and the work of our researchers. It is so gratifying to add TOPP Foundation to our wall of donors in the lobby of the Institute as a partner in our effort for our goal….one day ending diabetes forever. We appreciate them as friends of the Foundation as well as donors to our efforts.”
TOPP Foundation (Type One Parent Project) is a nonprofit founded in 2016.
TOPP’s mission is to increase awareness of the disease, raise funds for research, and to support local families living with the daily challenges of T1D.
Since its start in 2016, TOPP has donated $60,500 to JDRF’s Fund a Cure program and $110,000 to the DRI for a total of $170,500 going directly to cure research.
In 2018, the organization created the TOPP Camp Scholarship Program.
This program enhances the quality of life for youth living with T1D by providing financial assistance to attend specialized overnight diabetes camps.
Between 2018-2023, this program has awarded 21 camp scholarships to children and teens with T1D!
Additionally, TOPP Foundation started a Higher Education Scholarship in 2022 to provide financial assistance to local high school seniors with T1D who are pursuing higher education at a two- or four-year college or vocational school.
To date, TOPP recognized and awarded scholarships to seven students for the strength and resilience they display every day as they cope with a relentless illness. If you would like to make a donation to TOPP, please visit www.toppfoundation.org or e-mail christine@toppfund.org.
To donate by check, please make payable to TOPP Foundation and mail to PO Box 622, Furlong, PA 18925. All donations will go towards TOPP’s Scholarship Programs.
The DRI at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is one of the largest and most comprehensive research centers dedicated to curing diabetes. The integration of medicine and technology drives the vision behind the DRI strategy, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to cure diabetes.
The strategy builds upon decades of cure-focused research and addresses the major challenges that stand in the way of a biological cure.
Three areas of research are simultaneously being pursued by the DRI: engineering a site within the body to house transplanted islets and beneficial components, sustaining the survival of the insulin-producing cells, and creating a supply of islets to treat the millions living with diabetes.
For more information about the DRI, visit www.diabetesresearch.org. T1D is a vastly different disease than the more common type 2 diabetes, and has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. T1D is a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin- producing cells in the pancreas.
Insulin is a hormone that enables people to get energy from food and is essential to survival. T1D is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week job.
People with T1D must check their blood sugar throughout the day and administer insulin via multiple daily injections or through an insulin pump. Insulin dosing must be calculated throughout the day and balanced with food intake, exercise, stress, and the natural hormonal fluctuations of a growing body.
It is often a “guessing game” and carries the constant threat of devastating complications from Hyperglycemia or Hypoglycemia.
There is nothing you can do to prevent T1D and – at present – there is no cure. T1D strikes both children and adults at any age.
Seek medical care if you or your child are experiencing any combination of the following symptoms: excessive thirst, frequent urination, excessive hunger, weight loss, headaches, blurry vision, and fatigue.
If a diagnosis is delayed, untreated T1D can be life-threatening.