by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Bad Habit Brewery and the St. Joseph Lions Club will hold a fundraiser in which part of the proceeds from every pint sold will benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which is focused on type 1 diabetes research.
The JDRF Benefit will take place from noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 at 15 E. Minnesota St., Suite 108, in St. Joseph. For every pint sold, a dollar will go to the JDRF to help find a cure for the chronic disease in which the body stops producing insulin.
“I have been a diabetic for 23 years, so it’s something that’s always kind of been near and dear to me,” said St. Joseph City Council member Matt Killam. “When I was 9 years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, so it’s always been part of my life in some way.”
According to JDRF, “Type 1 diabetes strikes both children and adults at any age. It comes on suddenly, causes dependence on injected or pumped insulin for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications.”
Killam has been part of the St. Joseph Lions Club for several years and said the partnership with Bad Habit Brewery presented itself. The club had never before partnered with the brewery, he said.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity,” Killam said of the fundraiser, which will feature a taco bar and St. Joseph Lions Club Meat Raffle, with all the proceeds from both benefiting JDRF.
Killam said there will be information about type 1 diabetes at the fundraiser in St. Joseph and the kinds of struggles those with type 1 diabetes go through day to day and how they handle those struggles on a daily basis.
According to JDRF: “People with the disease must carefully balance insulin doses (either by injections multiple times a day or continuous infusion through a pump) with eating and other activities throughout the day and night.”
Killam said those with the disease must also test their blood-glucose level by pricking their fingers for blood several times a day. He said he also owns an insulin pump that helps with his condition by giving him insulin constantly rather than taking insulin shots several times a day.
“The biggest thing about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is two-fold,” Killam said. “No. 1, they are trying to find a cure, that’s the biggest thing that they do, and the second thing is advocacy or awareness because a lot of people don’t necessarily know what diabetes is.”
