I’m always struck by how many people have diabetes in America.  NIH estimates that 7% of the population has diabetes. That’s over 20 million people!  While the vast majority have type II, or adult onset diabetes, about 1 million people have type I, or juvenile diabetes, like my brother Andy.  Type 1 is often referred to as insulin-dependent, because people living with type 1 cannot make their own insulin and must take shots of insulin to control blood sugar levels.

I’m sure you know someone with diabetes, but did you know that these celebs also have diabetes?

Hollywood starlette Halle Berry

Tween pop star Nick Jonas

Designing Women’s Delta Burke

New Years Eve’s Dick Clark

Jerry Mathers aka the Beaver

American Idol Judge Randy Jackson

6 time Emmy award winner Victor Gerber has had type 1 diabetes for 45 years and is actively involved with fundraising for diabetes research

The legendary Patti LaBelle

Mary Tyler Moore has been extremely active in diabetes and stem cell research fundraising

82 year old jazz legend B.B. King

LA Dodgers pitcher David Wells

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

David Crosby of Crosby, Stills and Nash

Check out the full article ABC ran on celebrities with diabetes: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/DiabetesNews/story?id=4034836&page=1

We’re excited to launch this blog to give you an inside peek into what goes into planning the tournament, who the planners really are and what the organization is all about. 

This year’s tournament will be on Sunday, March 2 at the Landon School in Bethesda, MD.  26 teams will compete in this one-day dodgeball tournament.

We founded Dodging Diabetes in 2005 to bring Washington, D.C. area young professionals, friends and family members together to raise money to fight diabetes.  We raise money through the generous support of our sponsors, players and volunteers at our annual dodgeball tournament in March each year. 100% of the money we raise goes directly to the Joslin Diabetes Center.

We’d love to hear from you about what you’re looking forward at the 2008 3rd Annual Dodging Diabetes Charity Dodgeball Tournament. 

 Registration will open in early January so stay tuned…