DR. MICHAEL HALLER ELECTED AS CHAIRMAN OF TYPE 1 DIABETES TRAILNET

HELP A DIABETIC CHILD MEDICAL DIRECTOR DR. MICHAEL HALLER ELECTED AS CHAIRMAN OF TYPE 1 DIABETES TRAILNET

Help A Diabetic Child (HADC), a nonprofit organization supporting children and young adults living with diabetes, announced that longtime Medical Director Michael Haller, MD has been elected Chairman of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, a leading global research network focused on preventing and ultimately curing Type 1 Diabetes.

Dr. Haller is a distinguished pediatric endocrinologist and prominent researcher at the University of Florida and is internationally recognized for his work developing immunotherapies such as low dose ATG to preserve insulin producing beta cells and reverse new onset Type 1 Diabetes. His appointment reflects his leadership and unwavering commitment to advancing research in the prediction, prevention and treatment of the disease.

“Dr. Haller has served as Medical Director for HADC since its inception and has further guided us as a Board Member,” said Tami Balavage, Founder/President for HADC. “We are so proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and look forward to the continued impact of his leadership on the future of diabetes research and patient care.”

Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet is an international network of researchers and healthcare teams dedicated to studying, preventing, and delaying Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it offers free risk screening to relatives of people with T1D to identify the disease years before symptoms appear.

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a chronic (life-long) autoimmune disease in which the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to naturally regulate the body’s blood sugar, leaving diagnosed individuals with a life-long dependency on costly medical insulin. Without daily insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring, a child can only survive a few days.

HADC supports underserved children, young adults and their families in Southwest Florida who live with Type 1 diabetes and cannot afford insulin, diabetes medical supplies and medical services. It was founded in Naples in 2013 by Balavage after her 16-year-old son was diagnosed with the disease. It quickly became evident that there was a significant number of children who were unable to get adequate medical supplies for blood glucose testing and insulin injections, which must be done multiple times daily.

The number of Americans being diagnosed with diabetes continues to rise at alarming rates. The American Diabetes Association reports that almost 10 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes, while another 8 million are undiagnosed. In addition, the ADA reports that 86 million Americans over the age of 20 years have pre-diabetes.

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a nearly 30 percent increase in Type 1 diabetes diagnoses in the United States, with youth cases growing most sharply among diverse populations.

Diagnosed cases of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are surging among youth in the United States. From 2001 to 2017, the number of people under age 20 living with Type 1 diabetes rose 45 percent and the number living with Type 2 diabetes grew by 95 percent.

The goal for Help A Diabetic Child is to continue to do all that it can to do its part in helping those children who, through no fault of their own, are left behind. For additional information or to support the organization’s mission of providing life-saving medical supplies and services, please call 239-821-5051 or visit www.helpadiabeticchild.org.