Fitch family honored at gala


Thursday, April 22, 2010
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Fitch family honored at gala

The Fitch family was recognized by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Bill Fitch, his daughter Lynn and granddaughter Mackenzie Mitchell were honorees at the 11th Annual Hope Gala put on by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in January in Jackson.

The family has had a close encounter with juvenile diabetes since the diagnosis of Mackenzie with Type 1 diabetes at age 12. She is now 24.

Since her diagnosis, MacKenzie has pricked her finger for blood to measure her blood glucose level 10,000 times and has given herself over 21,000 shots of insulin.

A national organization to find a cure for type 1 diabetes, JDRF and its friends raised $300,000 at the gala held at the Country Club of Jackson this year. The Fitch family served as honorees because of their dedication to JDRF and finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. Lynn Fitch serves as major gifts chair on the 2010 JDRF Board of Directors.

Under the direction of the Fitch family, the Fund A Cure raised money at the gala to support JDRF’s sponsored research toward the development of an artificial pancreas - the combination of a glucose monitor and insulin pump that one day will hopefully provide blood sugar control, especially in youth.

The research may lead to the development of a fully-automated artificial pancreas, if perfected.

The Mississippi Chapter of JDRF set May 8 for the first annual coast walk to cure diabetes. To register, e-mail gulfcoastwalktocurediabetes@gmail.com.

Last year, JDRF funded more than 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries, including nearly 50 human clinical trials.

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